The Scout
by Wolfbert
Summary: A man was pulled out of the Matrix and shown the truth. Unlike most of the others pulled out he refused to go back in. Instead he fights the AI's in the real world. He is now a Scout that travels the wastelands looking for information to stop the AI's
1. The Scout Part 1

The Scout Part 1  
  
By Michel Ward aka Wolfbert  
  
Most of the people brought out of the Matrix are hackers and I was no exception. I was Elite. I hacked banks, DMV's, IRS, I even got into the NSA network. I was high on the FBI's most wanted Hackers list (oh yeah I got them to). That's when a girl named Mystic came to me. She offered to show me the truth, to pull the veil from my eyes and release me from slavery. All I had to do was make a choice, the red pill or the blue pill. I should have taken the blue pill, I think that someone once said, "Ignorance is bliss", Amen Brother.  
  
When I was pulled out of the Matrix and shown the truth I did what most people do, I threw up. But unlike most of the people that are pulled out I decided not to join those who sat in the chairs and go back in. After learning the truth I never wanted to go back in again. Besides, what good would it do, not much in my opinion. A lot of people wound up dead at the hands of the Agents in the Matrix.  
  
I decided that I would fight the AI's in a different way so I became a Scout. You see after the AI war when the fragmented remains of the human race retreated underground most of them looked at each other and said, "What happened?" No one was sure how it all went wrong, only that the machines that once served and protected them had turned on them with such ferocity that could only be described as cold blooded and methodical. The human armies of the world had put up a valiant fight and they took out a great number of the machines but it was not enough. As the war raged cities disappeared in blinding flashes of light, millions died and society began to break down. In a last ditch effort the armed forces used a device that turned the sky black and blotted out the sun. Without solar power the machines began to die out and the last of the human army pushed hard to finish them off. But then new machines showed up on the battlefield and overwhelmed the last of the troops. The tattered remnants of humanity retreated underground and began to rebuild. The first such cities where destroyed as the AI machines followed. But something strange happened, many of the people where taken alive, something never heard of before. People retreated further underground deeper then ever before. They massed together to form the fortress city of Zion, from there we fight for survival. After the formation of Zion and the ruling council, people tried to piece together what went wrong, how did this happen, and what is happening on the surface now? That's when the Scouts first got started.  
  
A few brave (or insane, depending on who you ask) men and women volunteered to go back to the surface and report back what they found. Many did not return but enough did come back and what they told was almost too horrible to believe. They told of the birthing fields that stretched for miles, the huge power plants where people where used to generate power, and of the facilities where people's minds where used as array processors. The Scouts that returned trained others. They taught us on how to avoid the Hunter/Killer units, where the best places where to hide and holdup, and how to survive on the surface. Mostly they told us to take it slow and quite, avoid the machines at all cost, and never be taken alive.  
  
  
  
I've been at this for three years now that makes me a vet. I've had a few close calls but I have managed to get out of trouble each time with skill and blind luck. Today I am traveling across West Virginia on my way to Washington DC. I'm flying low over the hills in a one-man hoverskiff I call The Shadow. The hoverskiff is a scouts best friend and home; small, nimble, and above all fast. Flat out it will even match the speed of a SwiftKiller. I have been using the same one since I started and she hasn't let me down yet. The Skiff has a roomy one-man cockpit with a sleeping alcove, refresher, and food preparation area (if you can call that protein mush food) aft of the cockpit.  
  
I added a few of my own little features on her over the years, first is the computer system with mobile uplink, I still dabble in hacking and I actionably come across old computer systems that I scan for information. I also added a little firepower to her as well. One day I came across a damaged Squid that still had a good laser on it so I mounted it in a rear turret that I can control from the cockpit. Now when a Squid or SwiftKiller chases me I have a little surprise for them.  
  
As I pilot the Skiff over the barren landscape I keep my eyes open and my sensors on passive. I'm nothing more than a ghost moving across the landscape. I have never been to Washington DC before. I always thought that the machines would have nuked it to ash in the war but apparently they didn't. Some speculated that the AI's recruited the Pentagon's system during the first stage of the war so they spared it. That's what I was sent to find out. As I cross over the Virginia border I turn east then I travel northeast till I hit the Virginia/Maryland border and follow that to Washington. I land on the Virginia side of the Potomic River near Arlington National Cemetery. I ease the Skiff into the remains of a building and shut her down. Afterwards I get out and cover it with a scatterback camo net that will help hide her from visual and electronic detection.  
  
I hike to the high ground and survey the area; from here I can see downtown DC. The Pentagon is still there but some of the structure has collapsed, The Capitol Building is nothing but a hole in the ground and so is the White House; The Washington Memorial is lying on its side and shattered to pieces. I'm actually surprised by the fact that most of the buildings are intact. I decide search the surrounding buildings, you never know what you might find and after all that's what we are out here for. After about an hour I find a whole lot of nothing, A few newspapers with the same articles that I've seen a hundred times before. Mostly confusing reports about attacks in other cities by machines and of strange accidents here in town. When the final hammer came down it was swift and very few news organizations where able to report on it. I decide to head back to the Skiff and get something to eat.  
  
One of the perks of being a Scout is that you can come across some real treasure from time to time. I'm not talking about gold and silver I'm talking about the real stuff. One day I was searching through a dinner in Philly when I hit pay dirt. In a back closet I found several boxes of salt and pepper packets and a case of Tabasco that was still good. So I sit under the wing of the skiff with my bowl of protein gruel and add a little salt, pepper, and a dash of Tabasco. If anyone knew that I had this stuff I could write my own ticket. While eating dinner and wishing it was a Big Mac I hear the high pitch whine of a SwiftKiller flying east to west about 10 miles from my position. I'm not worried; it's a long way off and probably on routine patrol. There are not too many of them flying anymore, the only targets they have to shoot at are us and the occasional Matrix hackers that get driven to the surface by Squids.  
  
The next day I run through my checklist, M79 assault rifle with armor piercing rounds, grenades, binoculars, remote uplink, first aid pack, toolkit, climbing gear, and an image recorder. I start off and head towards the Pentagon. I start off checking out a few offices on the top floors, mainly I'm looking for the communications room. After a little while I find it, all of the com systems and computers are smashed. I read through a few of the notes and printouts that are scattered about, most of them are confusing reports from different bases stating that they where under attack from there own equipment. As I search through the offices I try to find one that belongs to the highest-ranking officers. I later realize that those offices are the ones in the collapsed section of the building; it looks like the AI's bombed the guys in charge. In the offices that I do search, all of the computer systems are either missing or smashed, I do find a few data disk and scan then into the mobile.  
  
I start heading into the lower levels looking for the computer operations center. I descend the set of stairs and as I pass through a door and I come face to face with a Squid. I must have jumped back ten feet before I swung the assault rifle up and started to squeeze the trigger, but I stop just shy of firing. The Squids eyes are dark and it's not moving the thing is inactive. "Shit" I mumble to myself, I almost needed a new pair of underwear. As I move around to the backend of the Squid I see that someone hit it with an anti-tank rocket and blew it clean in half, the whole insides are twisted and burned too bad I would love to mount a laser on the front end of the skiff. After doing a little more searching I finally find the computer center it's exactly what I expect it to be, completely gutted. The floor is a mess of power conduits and fiber optic cables that are all neatly cut. The Pentagon AI was moved to a more secure area. I find a few data disk and some more printouts that could be promising. I scan the disks and take images of the printouts before I head back to the Skiff.  
  
Later on after I transfer the data to the Skiff's computer I fly her over to the downtown DC and hide it in a parking garage. I check out the crater that use to be the White House and wonder if there is anyway to get to the elevator shaft that supposedly leads to an underground bunker but the ground is to unstable. I decide to head over to the Smithsonian Institute and see what I could find there.  
  
As I walk through the museum I'm surprised to discover that for the most part the place is intact. As I wander the different labs I find that most of the computer systems are also intact. I scan the hard drives and what ever data disks that I find lying around onto the mobile. I spend the entire day going through the building wandering from lab to lab and then finally checking out the museum displays. It's hard to believe that at one time families use to walk through these halls without a care in the world while their children went ohhh and ahhh over the displays.  
  
I return to the Skiff and download the information off the mobile into the main computer. It will crunch on the data using a program that I developed looking for any specific keywords. I have dinner, forgoing the Tabasco this time; after all I don't want to be spoiled. The SwiftKiller flies by again but this time a lot closer. I'm still not worried; I hid the skiff on the bottom level of the parking garage. There's no way it can see me through all this concert and steel so long as I keep the power levels low on the Skiff.  
  
The next morning the computer is telling me that it found some hits. I make some breakfast (some gruel with a side of gruel) and go over the data. Most of the stuff is junk, emails sent to or from friends and colleges about strange things that are going on or about reports that they hear on the news. There are a few that do however catch my eye. One of them is an email from some IT tech at the San Diego Super Computer Center. It goes like this:  
  
  
  
To: BrianB@Smithsonian.Org  
  
From: FredM@SanDiegoSuperComputer.org  
  
Dear Professor  
  
I thought that you might be able to help me out I have come across something really weird and I wanted a second opinion on it. I was doing a routine check on the raw log files (being the new guy and the lowest on the totem pole I get to do all the shit jobs around here) I came across something strange. I found a small data stream was being sent out on a line that was not supposed to be in use. Thinking that somehow that we had been hacked I decided to investigate. I was able to trace the line to the Mitsubishi Advance Computer Research Lab. Also the traffic flow was mostly traveling out and not in. I started to check the data in the stream but found that it was encrypted. Shortly after I started to check the data stream it disappeared. Later I found it again on a different circuit and every time I would try to nail it down it would move again. After a few times of this cat and mouse my system crashed on me, every time I would try to continue my investigation on a different system it would crash as well. I was finally able to get permission to access the system from the master consul only to find out that my account was no longer there and I could not get on. I finally decided to splice a packet sniffer into the hard line and I was able to grab some of the encrypted data. I have attached the information in the hope that you might be able to break the encryption and tell me what the data is that is being passed. I have told my boss about it but he thinks that it's nothing to worry about.  
  
Thanks  
  
Fred Mustacchia  
  
IT Tech  
  
San Diego Super Computer Labs  
  
  
  
The reply was even more intriguing.  
  
  
  
To: FredM@SanDiegoSuperComputer.org  
  
From: BrianB@Smithsonian.Org  
  
Fred  
  
It was good to here from you. I was able to break the encryption on the data that you sent me and what I saw was really interesting stuff. It appears to be part of an advance AI program. I know that you guys are working on a sentient AI system there and I have heard rumors that the Japanese are doing the same. If I didn't know better I would say that your system is sending theirs data. I would go as far as to say that your system might be reprogramming or "teaching" their system. I think that you should explain what you found to your superiors, you might even want to contact the people at Mitsubishi and bring them in on this. If your boss needs more convincing then he is welcome to call me. I look forward to hearing about what happens.  
  
Take care,  
  
Brian Bloom  
  
Professor of Computer Science  
  
Smithsonian Institute  
  
  
  
So the guys in San Diego where working on a sentient AI and it was sneaking out the back door to talk to other AIs. Well it looks like I'm heading off to the sunny beaches of California, Oh wait a minute the sun hasn't shined there for a hundred years. I pack up the Skiff and plan my next move. I plan to fly Southwest till I hit Arkansas then I will turn West till I come to the California border then head south to San Diego, I should make it there in three or four days. I want to avoid the central state that is where the AI's are concentrated at in North America.  
  
At the end of the second day I am flying over Oklahoma about to cross into Texas when I get something that I never ever expected, a radio call.  
  
"Shadow this is Hermes, come in."  
  
I stare at the radio not sure if I believe what I hear. To transmit while topside is suicide. Even though all transmissions are encoded and sent via burst signal, every receiver in North America will start to triangulate on our position. I bet that every SwiftKiller and Squid in the area is being vectored to the guy sending out the call, if I answer I will be in the same boat. But it must be important if someone is willing to take this kind of risk. I hit the com stud.  
  
"Hermes this is Shadow, I read you."  
  
"Shadow, we have a situation and we require you assistance."  
  
Great, these guys went and got themselves in trouble and now they think I can pull their bacon out of the fire (mmmm…¦bacon).  
  
"What's the problem Hermes?"  
  
"We received a relay. There is a group in the Matrix that has been cut off and their Operator is requesting help to get his team out. You're the closest one there and time is short."  
  
I roll my eyes. I'm a Scout not a rescue team. I decide to look up the Hermes and see that she is a MRK 3 Hovercraft, standard Matrix hacking rig.  
  
"Hermes, be advised that I do not have the right equipment to access the Matrix."  
  
"We know that Shadow but you have to help out somehow. This is a priority situation. Help get those people out at all cost. We are transmitting their data to you"  
  
"OK Hermes, data received, Shadow out."  
  
After ending the transmission I change course for Nebraska and the power plant. To get there in time to do any good I have to take the Skiff up to hypersonic. After that radio transmission and then breaking the sound barrier I'll have every Hunter/Killer in North America zeroed in on me.  
  
I put the skiff on autopilot and go aft to gather my gear. There's no way I can jack into the Matrix even if I wanted to so it looks like I will have to do it the old fashion way. In ten minutes flight time I slow down and land outside of the power plant. I leave the engines running, it's not like they don't know that I'm here. I run into the access tunnel heading down. As I exit the tunnel I enter a huge cavern that disappears into the depths of the earth. Five immense pillars run from the top of the cavern to the floor which fades off in the fog far below. Encircling the pillars are the pods that contain the humans that provide the power for the AI's and there machines. I wonder how many people there could be on each pillar, a hundred thousand, a million.  
  
I run along a catwalk to the closest pillar, there I find an access port that I plug the mobile into and establish a link the computer aboard the Skiff. With the information that the Hermes has sent me I begin to hack my way in to the Matrix and looking for the lost crew. Hacking in is easy I guess the machines never thought that someone would try to get in this way. Finding the crew takes a little longer but I finally come across them, they're in serious trouble. There are three Agents after them. It looks like they are trying to loose the Agents by running through a crowded airport. But the Agents are just jumping from one person to the next easily keeping up with them. That's just what I was hoping for. I access the computer on the Skiff and release Fido into the Matrix. Fido is a program that I have been working on for a little while, its design to attack system security and destroy it along with any anti-intrusion countermeasure that can be thrown at it. With a few modifications it wasn't hard to adapt it to the Matrix. The really cool thing about Fido is that it can rewrite its own code to adapt to changing situations. As one Agent leaves the body of a person Fido, all teeth and bad attitude greet him. It's not pretty sight as Fido makes short work of the Agent program, the other Agents pause for a moment and then begin the chase again. This time they are not jumping from person to person, damn so long as they stay in someone Fido can't get to them. I do a quick trace and find the two people that the Agents are using. My finger hovers over the enter button for a sec before I send the command that terminates their life. Without a host the Agents are thrown out into the system and into the waiting jaws of Fido. Finally I help the Operator establish a link to his crew and I watch as they exit back to their ship. I'm about ready to disconnect when here comes Fido with an Agent program lovingly carried in his jaws. "Oh My God"  
  
I quickly set up a protected space on the mobile so that Fido can drop him in there and then instruct him to stand guard. As I disconnect the mobile I hear the drone of a DocBot Spider rise behind me. I quickly duck and roll to the side just as a mechanical claw snaps shut where my head was. As I come up I squeeze off a full clip from the M79 into it. The Spiders aren't built for combat and the armor piercing rounds tear through it, the Spider wobbles and then falls to the depths below. I don't take the time to watch fall, I'm already running flat out for the exit as more Spiders come up to catch me. As I run up the access tunnel I look over my shoulder and see three Spiders enter the tunnel after me. I yank a grenade off of my equipment vest, press the arming stud and toss it over my shoulder. It detonates in front of the first Spider and severally damages it. As it trashes about it blocks the way of the others. I come out of the tunnel half expecting there to be a dozen Squids waiting for me but the area is clear and the Skiff is waiting for me with its engines still running. As I run up the boarding ramp and hear the warning signal of incoming SwiftKiller coming from the cockpit. I jump into the seat and immediately take off, I look at my scopes and see five SwiftKiller vectoring in on me from different location. I aim for the widest gap between two of them and slam the throttles to full power. I if don't have to do too many evasive maneuvers the ones behind me won't be able to close the distance but the ones ahead are turning to intercept me. It's going to get hairy, my best bet is to get into the tunnels where they can't chase me. The only problem is that I don't know of any tunnel access points nearby. I sure hope that this Morpheus guy and his crew that I got out of the Matrix are worth this.  
  
  
  
To Be Continued....


	2. The Scout Part 2

The Scout Part 2  
  
By Michel Ward aka Wolfbert  
  
I was a hacker, the best (at least IMHO). Then I was offered a chance to learn the truth and I went for it. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. When I was pulled out of the Matrix I was shocked and horrified at what I learned. When I was asked to join the others to fight the AI's and go back into the Matrix I refused. I never want to go back there again, it was a lie and I thought that the best anyone could do was just get killed by an Agent. Needless to say the people who risked their lives to get me out where not happy about my choice but they respected it.  
  
Now I'm a Scout, a fearless (or crazy) few who roam the wasteland of the real world looking for clues as to why the AI's turned against man and how to defeat them. I was on one such mission and had found a lead that was taking me to what use to be the San Diego Super Computer Lab in California when I got sidetracked.  
  
I had received a call for help. Some hackers where stuck in the Matrix and I was the only one close enough to help even though I had no way to jack in. I was able to get to the power plant and jack in the old fashion way and release my ICE breaker program called Fido, he made short work of the Agents that where after the hackers and even brought one of the Agents back to me. I was then able to help get the Matrix hackers out and high tail it out of the power plant.  
  
The real problem is that when I answered the call for help and took the hover skiff to hypersonic to get to the power plant in time to help I had basically sent up a signal flare to every AI Hunter/Killer unit in North America. As I took off from the power plant I had five SwiftKiller coming in on me from different directions. I aimed for the widest gap between two of them and pushed the throttles up to full power. The ones behind me would not be able to catch up unless I had to do too many evasive maneuvers but the ones ahead of me where closing fast and my system where warning me of acquisition radar trying to lock on me. And here I thought it was going to be a boring day.  
  
Now that the SwiftKillers know that I'm here I don't have a reason to keep the sensors on passive and switch them to active. Information begins to flood the screens and HUD, terrain, weather, location, direction, and full read out on the five SwiftKiller after me. The closing velocity on the one in front of me is a combined speed of mach 12 and at that speed if we pass within 100 feet of each other the shock wave alone will shatter all of us. If we collide they'll hear the bang all the way back at Zion. The SwiftKiller seem to come to the same conclusion and adjust their course so that they will drop in behind me as I pass between them.  
  
I'm thinking fast trying to figure a way out of this mess. The closest tunnel access is in Salt Lake City and I will be shot out of the sky long before I reach it if I can't get these guys off my back. I take the Skiff low and try to use some of the terrain to give me cover. I activate the ECM (Electronic Counter Measures). This should make it a little harder for them to lock on me. I power up the rear turret and check the scope for the SwiftKillers following me. They're a little ways behind me and appear as small dots on the screen. I come to the realization that it would have been a good idea to put some sort of auto targeting system on this. It's hard to fly low and line up the crosshairs to a small blip on a screen at the same time. Suddenly the sensors tell me that there is something in the air ahead of me. As the data comes over the screens I see that it is the Harvesters hovering over the birthing fields, I then get an idea.  
  
I throttle back just a little so that the pursuing SwiftKillers can slowly catch up and adjust my course to the Harvesters. As the SwiftKillers close I hear the warning calls as their acquisition radar starts to lock on me. As the tone becomes a steady shrill I bank the Skiff just as four beam of coherent light slice overhead. At this speed rockets and bullets are not that effective so the SwiftKillers are armed with four heavy lasers in front, any one of them could lance clean through the Skiff if it hits dead on. As I close on the Harvesters and the SwiftKillers close on me I start to line up the closest one in the rear turret's crosshairs, I need to time this just right. I can see the Harvesters now as I come in on them fast; I line up the SwiftKillers sensor port in my crosshair and fire. The red beam slices through the armored glass of the sensor port and blinds it just as I bank hard to miss the massive Harvester. The SwiftKiller blinded, smashes straight into it lighting up the sky as they both crash to earth in a ball of flame.  
  
The second one easily doges the fireball and continues after me. Well one down and one to go. I try to line up the second one but after seeing what I did to its companion it is more cautious now. It moves back and forth and I can't get a clean shot and fly this low at the same time. If I pull up and fly straight it will pick me off easy. I rack my brain for another option as the Swift killer takes several shots at me, some of them coming very close. As I check my screens again I see that the terrain radar shows a large lake ahead, I get another idea. I slowly loose more altitude until I am almost twenty feet off the deck still weaving back and forth dodging shots. As I close in on the lake I stop weaving and fly straight, the SwiftKiller drops in directly behind me and I brace for the beams to come right up my backside. Then the hoverskiff blast over the lake. The hypersonic shock wave slams down on the water's surface and shoots a geyser of water in the air behind me. The SwiftKiller flies into it and it's like hitting a rock wall, it tumbles out of control and crashes into the lake. That's two.  
  
I check the screens and the other three are still to far back to catch up. I set a course straight for Salt Lake City and hope that there are no Squids waiting at the access point into the tunnels.  
  
I make the tunnel point and its all is clear. I bring up the map of the sewer system and begin to decide where to go from here. I could travel most of the way underground to San Diego or I could head back to Zion and let them know what I found. After thinking it over I chose plan C, find somewhere to hold up, get some sleep, and continue on tomorrow. I find a quiet little hole and park the Skiff. I get out and start to cover her with the scatterback camo when I notice a large scorch mark on the left wing, it looks like the SwiftKiller got a piece of me after all. I check the damage and find out that it is minor, one of the flight control hydraulic lines has been nicked and it is leaking. I put on a temporary patch and check the levels in the tank, it's low but not bad. After dinner I send a signal to Zion encrypted with today's code requesting information on any ships in the area. Later I turn in for some rest, as always the nightmares come.  
  
I'm being chased, I can't see them but I know they are there. As they get closer I can see them out of the corner of my eye but when I look right at them they disappear and it's just some Joe Blow standing there. I hear the phone ringing in the distance and I run harder to it. Any second I expect to feel a bullet tear through my back. The ringing phone is coming from a broken down hotel and I run inside and take the stairs three at a time to the third floor. It seem that time slows. The ringing is getting louder almost deafening. I crash through the door only to come face to face with him. It's always the same Agent. His gun is already drawn and pointed square at my chest. Just behind him the phone stops ringing and the Agent unloads the entire clip into me. I wake up with a start, God I hate that dream. I get up and strip off my sweat soaked clothes. I step into the refresher to get cleaned up.  
  
Afterwards I decide to check on my ship guest. The Agent program is still there and it's not happy. Fido reports that it has tried to escape several times but it has not been able to get past him. Fido also reports that on several time the Agent program has tried to decompile itself but he was able to prevent it from happening. I decide to take a peek at him. What little code I look at is a real piece of work. Very elegant where it need to be, simple and straightforward in other areas. Then I think it caught me peeking and then tries to break free again only to be smacked back down by Fido.  
  
I leave my ship guest to stew and check to see if there is any return message from Zion. They report that there will be a ship close by called Aries and that they have notified them that I am in the area. I decide to pay them a visit.  
  
I bring up the Skiff's power system up slowly and check the area with passive sensors. No Squids show up on screen. I go back out and remove the camo net and check the patch on the hydraulic line. It is still good and should hold. I take off and head towards my rendezvous with the Aries. I find her parked right where they say it would be and hook up to their docking port.  
  
I climb up the hatch and enter into the Aries. The command deck is a mess of cables all running from the central computer core to the command consol and then to six chairs. The commander greets me.  
  
"Hi I'm Choi, commander of the Aries."  
  
"Hi I'm Darien, commander of the Shadow," I say as I shake his hand.  
  
The guy looks to be in his twenties with short curly reddish hair and a goatee. He introduces me to the rest of his crew. Most of them are just kids. God was I ever that young? After the introductions we swap news about what been going on and just like everyone else who finds out you're a Scout they want to know what is going on topside. I fill them in on a few things and omit the part about the San Diego AI. I tell them about how I helped get this guy Morpheus and his crew out of the Matrix by breaking into the power plant and hacking in (I omit the part about Fido and the captured Agent). After I tell them that they get real quiet and just stare at me.  
  
"What?" I ask looking from face to face wondering what I said wrong.  
  
"You don't believe that I broke into the power plant and hacked in with a mobile? Hey if you don't believe that then I won't tell you how I took out two SwiftKillers."  
  
"It's not that we don't believe you it just we didn't know it was you who save Morpheus." Choi says.  
  
The look on his face and on the faces of the others is close to awe, it makes me a little uncomfortable.  
  
"So who is this Morpheus guy?" I ask and apparently showing my stupidity.  
  
"You mean you never meet him?" Choi asked surprisingly.  
  
"Hey I'm a Scout, we spend a lot of time topside, and we don't get much time to socialize."  
  
Choi smiles "Well if you get the chance I'm sure that he will want to meet you."  
  
After our conversation we settle down to business. Choi's crew is top notch. They may be young but their professional. They are able to spare some hydraulic fluid and fill up the tank. Their mechanic gives my ship the once over and complements me on how I take good care of her. He checks out the battle damage and helps me tighten you a few lose nuts and tweak the engines. Later we sit down to dinner in their galley. Choi and his crew are real good people and I enjoy their company so I surprise them with a bottle of Tabasco. They are amazed and thrilled at the gift and I tell them that I appreciate all their help. One of the crew even mentions that he might become a Scout if it means getting a hold of stuff like this, I hope he's not serious.  
  
  
  
Later we say our good byes and then I disconnect from their ship. I hope that I run across them again. I then plot a course, I need to get the hydraulic line replace so that means that I'm heading for Zion.  
  
  
  
To Be Continued…


	3. The Scout Part 3

The Scout Part3  
  
By Michel Ward aka Wolfbert  
  
Going to Zion is not as easy as following the blinking neon signs or taking an off ramp. You have to navigate through a maze of sewers, natural caverns and mine tunnels. Depending where you are in the world, it can take you several days to a week to get to Zion. Then you also run the risk of stumbling into a sentinel patrol that sometimes stakes out the approaches to Zion. As you travel through the caverns and start to get closer to Zion, you begin to encounter the many rings of defenses that protect the city from the AI attacks. These range from remote weapons turrets to EMP mines. This is why you need the codes that allow your ship's computer to link with Zion. If your ship does not send out the proper encrypted signal with the right codes, then you would be turned into a smoking piece of wreckage before you knew what happened.  
  
So far, the trip was uneventful. I came across one Squid patrol and I was able to avoid them easy. One of the bad things about hover skiffs is that they are too small for equipping them with EMP units, there's just no more room after you shoehorn everything else into them. So, if a squid catches you it's mostly over. The golden rule is, don't get caught.  
  
As I get closer to Zion, the defenses get thicker and I watch as the computer system keeps responding to IFF challenges. After several more hours of traveling, I come to the final obstacle. A set of huge blast doors stretch from one end of the cave wall to the other. I pause here and hover before the doors. In the shadows, I can barely make out their movements and even with the Skiff's sensors they barely show up. The last line of defense for Zion is a small group of people outfitted with the most sophisticated combat gear known to man. The Mark 29 Battle Suit was the crowning glory of military hardware before the AI war. Each one contains the equivalent firepower of a heavy tank company, with its different weapon systems. I was told by one operator that the hardest part was choosing which weapon to use to destroy your target because you have so many to choose from. Each weapon system can independently acquire a separate target or groups of targets. An operator could lift a bolder weighing several tons and shatter it with one punch. The ablative armor is made of a carbon fiber and titanium laminate, it's not that thick but it can take a beating. Only two times have the AI war machines ever gotten this far. Both times, the AI's sent a massive wave that overwhelmed the defensive rings around Zion through sheer numbers. The last time it happened there were 15 people in Mark 29 Battle Suits outside the cities doors. When the smoke cleared, there were nine still standing and they had not given up an inch of ground. They had destroyed more of the AI war machines then the whole defense grid. The men and women who pilot these machines are the best trained and the most diehard of Zion's defense force.  
  
They scan my ship to make sure I have nothing trying to piggyback its way in with me and to make sure I am who I say I am. I give a wave to one of the shadowy figures who waves back at me.  
  
"Okay, you're clear," I hear over the radio and the doors open to let me through. I proceed down a long tunnel and come out into a massive cavern.  
  
"Zion Control, this is hover skiff Shadow requesting docking clearance."  
  
"Shadow, this is Zion Control; you are clear for docking bay 94. Welcome back," the cheerful voice tells me.  
  
As I pass the other docking bays to get to mine, I check out the other crafts that are parked here. I see some Mark 3 hacker rigs. I see a Shrike that looks like it had a run in with something that chewed it up. He must have come out on top if he was able to get it back here. There is a salvage barge that looks like it has just returned and was unloading stuff. There are also two other Scouts parked below. I recognize the wing markings as Maniac's and Degausser's ships. I will have to look them up after I get debriefed.  
  
I land the Skiff and shut down the systems, then head to the back. I load my ship guest into the mobile and make sure Fido is still on the job. I gather together the data and images which I have collected and shove them into my pack. I open the ramp and head out into the hanger area. The hangar, as always, is a flurry of activity, people moving and working on equipment of all different shapes and sizes. I do a quick once over of the ship as "Wing Nut" the hangar's lead tech comes up to me.  
  
"Hey there Shadow, good to see you again," he says and shakes my hand. "Well, what did you do to it this time?" he asks.  
  
"Hey Wing Nut, it's not too bad, just a hole in the wing and a damaged hydraulic line."  
  
I show Wing Nut the damage and he checks out the patch on the line.  
  
"You're lucky the shot wasn't a couple of inches higher or it would have not only severed the line but cleaved through the wing spar as well. That would have been messy. How did it happen anyway?" he asks.  
  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, just look through the flight recordings and you'll see. Anything new going on around here?"  
  
The smile leaves his face, "DreamWeaver is overdue, she should have been back a week ago but there has been no word from her. They sent Maximus out to find her four days ago, he should be at her last location by now."  
  
Where most people think that Scout pilots are crazy, most Scouts think that Shrike pilots are insane. Whenever a ship comes up missing or there is a call for help, a Shrike will be sent out. A Shrike is built on the same frame as a hover skiff but they sacrifice speed for armor and firepower. When Scouts see a Hunter/Killer we hide or run away, when a Shrike pilot sees one, he jumps into the fray. Unfortunately, there aren't that many Shrikes and Shrike pilots. They don't seem to last that long. Maximus is the oldest and the best.  
  
"What was her last position?" I ask.  
  
"Somewhere outside of London," he tells me.  
  
"Over there, Oscar just came back with a load of mining equipment that was found in a Virginia coal mine," Wing Nut tells me as he points to the salvage barge. "If they can get it working then maybe they can add some new levels around here."  
  
One good thing is that the population of Zion is growing; the bad thing is that there is a shortage of living space and the engineering crew could really use the equipment to expand Zion. I leave the Skiff in the capable hands of Wing Nut and head off to Zion Intelligence Command. I report in and I'm lead to a debriefing room with a senior Intelligence Agent. I give him a quick review of what I have been doing since I last reported in. I turn over the data and images that I have collected from Washington. We both go over the data and he agrees that it warrants further investigation. Then, I tell him about the power plant rescue.  
  
"I heard about what you did," he tells me. "You have become a bit of a hero around here."  
  
"You can't be serious?" I ask him.  
  
"Oh, believe it. Word traveled fast once the Hermes pulled in and the crew started talking, but it's good to hear your side of it."  
  
"There is one more thing that I should tell you. The Fido program that I told you about, well he didn't destroy all three of the Agents. He brought one back to me and I have him here" I tell the Intelligence Agent holding up the mobile. At first I don't think what I said to him really registers. As it sinks in, I see the expression on his face change.  
  
"You mean that you have an actual Agent in that thing?" he asks, pointing to the mobile and backing up like it was about to jump out and bite him. "Are you nuts, what if it gets loose and into the system?" his voice begins to take on an edge of panic.  
  
"Don't worry, it isn't going anywhere," I tell him holding up the network card for the mobile. "I pulled this after I put him in here. The only way out is through a hard line and I'm not about to hook one up."  
  
"Would you excuse me for a minute?" he quickly says and exits the debriefing room.  
  
"Great, I'm in trouble now," I think to myself. "I knew I should have kept my mouth shut."  
  
After about forty minutes, he finally comes back. "Follow me please, is all he says and leads me further into the building. We come to what must be a conference room with a large table and lots of chairs. All of the chairs are taken and there are a few people standing along the wall. Some of the people I know, the woman at the head of the table is Carla McAdams and she is the one in charge of the Intelligence division of Zion. The others are different department heads and a few others I do not know. I must be in REAL trouble.  
  
"I hear you brought a sentient Agent program back with you from the Matrix," McAdams tells me.  
  
"Yes I did. He is safely tucked away," I tell her patting on the mobile. "It's locked up and guarded by Fido, and if it did somehow get out and past Fido there's nowhere for it to go," I tell them holding up the network card.  
  
"Even still, it is dangerous and you shouldn't have brought it here, the danger is too great," McAdams points out.  
  
"I thought it would be a great opportunity for us to study one of them and learn its secrets. We may never get a chance like this again."  
  
"Maybe so, but I will not risk Zion. If that thing somehow got out and into the system it could bring down everything including the defense grid. We would be wide open to attack," McAdams tells me. "I want you to destroy it."  
  
I'm stunned and just stand there for a minute. "What about my Fido program? I need to get him off of here first," I tell her.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that. If you open the connection then the Agent can make a break for it. I hope you have a backup copy of your program."  
  
"I do, but like I told you before, the program can change itself as it needs to. This one has added several hundred lines of code since it came into contact with the Agents," I tell her.  
  
A squirrelly fellow that has been standing next to the wall speaks up, "Ms McAdams, I must once again protest, this is a once in a lifetime chance and we can not lose it out of fear. We must keep the Agent program and study it, the Fido program as well."  
  
"The counsel has already decided professor and they want it destroyed, as do I." McAdams turns back to me. "Do you want to do it or shall I?" she commands.  
  
I think about it for a second and then frustrated I open the access cover on the mobile and yank out a card. The mobile's screen goes dark and its lights go out.  
  
"From this point forward, all AI sentient programs are to be considered hazardous material and are not to be brought back to Zion, is that understood?"  
  
I nod yes.  
  
"Okay, enough about that, you are dismissed. Also, good work with the rescue at the power plant," she tells me.  
  
"Yeah, whatever," I say as I turn and leave.  
  
After I exit the Intelligence office I open the access panel and reinsert the video card back into the mobile, the screen comes back to life. I do a quick check to be sure that the Agent program and Fido are still where I left them. "I can't believe I got away with that," I whisper to myself with a grin.  
  
Now that I have all my official business done I can take care of some personal things. I head to the lower level where the hydroponics bays are. As I enter the hallway that leads to the hydroponics bays, two guards stop me.  
  
"We need to see your pass," the taller of the two says to me.  
  
"Tell me something, do we have to go through this every time I come here?" I ask. "You know the Mole will want to see me, he always does. Just call him and tell him I'm here."  
  
The guard turns to a phone on the wall and punches in a couple of numbers. "Sir, there is a man by the name of…" He looks over to me.  
  
"Darien," I tell him, not hiding my frustration, "it's only been two months since I was here last."  
  
"Darien, sir. He says that you know him." I can hear the shouting on the other end of the line and the guard winces from the receiver. "Yes sir, I will tell him," the guard says and them hangs up the phone. "He says that you are to wait here."  
  
After a couple of minutes Mole comes down the hallway. He is a stocky guy, about five feet tall with shoulders as wide as mine. His coveralls are smeared with dirt and there are all manners of implements sticking out of his pockets.  
  
"If I told you once, I have told you a thousand times that if a Scout wants to see me, let them through. How many times do I have to repeat myself before you guys get it through those Neanderthal thick skulls of yours?" he shouts at the guards.  
  
"Sir, Major Henderson's orders are to keep anyone without a pass away from the hydroponics bay," the guard replies.  
  
"Well, Major Henderson doesn't run the Garden, I do. What I say goes. If you two can't get that straight, I will find someone who can."  
  
Mole turns to me and a big smile spreads across his face, "Darien, my boy, it's good to see you again come with me." He turns to go back down the hall, towards the hydroponics bay, which is more commonly known as the Garden. Next to the cavern that houses the hanger and the docking bays the hydroponics bay, is the largest open area on Zion. A massive lighting system is supported from the ceiling. Below them on the floor, is row upon row of different vegetables line the way. At the far end are several different types of fruit trees. From the far wall, there are large pipes that jut out and disappear under the soil. These come from Zion's waste recycling plant and provide the plants with water and nutrients. This is where the only living plants grow on the earth. Mole and his crew are the ones responsible for the care and welfare of the Garden and they take their job very seriously. I have no doubt that if the AI Hunter/Killers ever came crashing through the door, they would take up arms and fight to the death to protect the Garden.  
  
"So what did you bring me?" Mole asks.  
  
I open my pack and pull out a plastic Ziploc bag. Inside are several different kinds of seed packets. A while back Mole approached the Scouts and asked if we could keep our eyes open for any signs of plant life and bring them back. Unfortunately, without sunlight there can be no plant life. The surface has been turned into a barren desert. But one day, while I was searching through a hardware store looking for tools, I saw something and hit on an idea. There in the corner of the store was a gardening center and on a shelf sat seed packets for different kinds of flowers and vegetables. I carefully gathered the seed because the packets would crumble to dust if I handled them too hard. From that point on, all of the Scouts have been on the lookout for the same thing. The Garden has come a long way since then. Before, the Garden was mostly soybeans. Now, there are a wide variety of plants that fill the Garden. Unfortunately, as big as it is it can't sustain all of Zion so we must continue to eat the mush. Now and then, everyone gets a small ration of real food from the Garden. I hand Mole the bag and he happily takes them and inspects them.  
  
"Wow, cucumbers, this is great we don't have any of those" Mole exclaims. "Hey do you want to see something?" he asks and leads me off to a different area. "Remember the corn seeds you brought in a couple of months ago, well there they are." He points to a row of stalks that are as high as my knee. "In a little while, we will have real corn and I'll make sure you get the fist ear." Mole and I walk back to the entrance. On the way, he picks several fruits and vegetables and hands them to me. At first I decline.  
  
"I'm sure someone should get it in his or her ration," I tell him. Mole won't take no for an answer.  
  
"Besides, when was the last time you got your rations?" he asks. I shrug my shoulders not really knowing the answer, it has been a long time. "Well, that settles it then." He shoves the food in my bag. He turn and looks over the Garden "You know one day I hope to transplant all of this to the surface" he says with a faraway look in his eyes. He turn to me with that big smile of his "Take care my boy and come back soon," he waves and walks off.  
  
I head back up to the main bazaar level. Zion has several bars. The two largest are the Core and the Bunker. The Core is where most of the hackers go. The Bunker is where most of Zion's soldiers go. Scouts can go anywhere they want and everyone knows it. I decide to head to the Core and get a drink and hopefully find Maniac and Gausser. As I walk across the crowded bazaar, I decide to check the mobile to make sure the Agent is behaving. As I look at the readout on the screen, someone bumps me hard and the mobile is knocked from my hand.  
  
"Hey, watch where you're going," I tell the guy who bumped me.  
  
"Watch where I'm going? You bumped me, you idiot," the guy says and actually takes a step forward. A man with disheveled hair and a scruffy beard steps forward, grabs the guy by the arm and pulls him back.  
  
"You'll have to forgive him, he just got out and he's new here," the scruffy man tells me and pulls his friend along.  
  
Great, another new copper top on the loose. I retrieve the mobile, good thing they can take a beating, and check on Fido. It reports that the Agent has been, for the most part, behaving. It has only poked at its containment a little as if to test to see if there was anyone still there.  
  
I then head into the Core and begin to check tables for the other Scouts. Towards the back, I find Maniac downing a drink. I walk up behind him and give him a pat on the back. "Well, I see the AI's haven't killed you yet."  
  
"Not for a lack of trying. Good to see you again, Shadow," he smiles and shakes my hand. I have a seat and Maniac orders a round for the two of us.  
  
"I hear that you're a bit of a hero," he tells me with a sly grin.  
  
I roll my eyes, "Oh great, does everyone know?" I ask.  
  
"Pretty much everyone," he says. "When the Hermes called you, they high tailed it underground again. But they were ambushed by a Squid patrol. Lucky for them, there was a Shrike in the area and he saved their butts. The Shrike was shot up pretty good so they helped it limp back here. They started talking about how this Scout gunned his way into the power plant and helped Morpheus and his crew escapes. Then, he gunned his way out again, leaving a pile of HK's in his wake."  
  
I put my head on the table and begin to hit my head against it several times. I can tell by the big smile on Maniac's face that he just loves it.  
  
"So how much of this is bull?" He asks as the waitress brings our drinks.  
  
I take a drink and from the mug, the drink is cold but it burns on the way down. "Jezz, what is this?"  
  
"The Hackers call it a HardWire. I'm not sure what's in it and I'm sure I don't want to know. Don't worry, after the first one you won't taste it anymore."  
  
I tell Maniac all about what happened. The stuff I found at Washington, the power plant rescue and the escape. The only thing I leave out is the part about capturing the Agent program.  
  
Maniac raises an eyebrow when I finish. "They're not that far from the truth," he says and orders another round.  
  
"Oh please, I was in so fast they couldn't get anything there to meet me. I ran out so fast they could barely catch me. I was real lucky in taking out those SwiftKillers," I tell him as I take a sip of my drink. Maniac is right, you can't taste it after the first one. Maniac and I down a few more drinks and get caught up on what each other has been up to. Later Gausser shows up and drops down in a chair we order another round.  
  
"So what's going on Gausser?" I ask.  
  
"I just came from Tactical Operation Center, Maximus has found DreamWeaver's Skiff. He reported that it looks like it was attacked by sentinels, but he doesn't think that she was in it at the time. There was no body, blood or sign of a fight. He will check the area and see if he can find her before heading back. If anyone can find her he will."  
  
The waitress comes with more mugs. We raise them together "To DreamWeaver's safe return" Gausser toasts.  
  
"Scouts Out" Maniac and I reply with the old Scout battle cry that has been around since the day of the horse Calvary and we all down our drinks.  
  
After a few more mugs I say goodnight and head back to the Skiff. With the shortage of living space, those that are assigned to ships live on them. I stager up the ramp and close it to shut out the racket of the hanger and plop down on my bunk and drift off to sleep. I feel like I just shut my eyes when I am awaken by a beeping coming from the com system. I throw my pillow over my head and try to ignore the call but the com just keeps beeping away. I finally get up and answer the radio.  
  
"Yes who is it?" I ask.  
  
"Hello, this is Professor Kaiser. We met briefly in the conference room yesterday when you were being chewed out for bringing in the Agent program."  
  
I think through the fog in my head and remember the squirrelly guy from the meeting. "Yeah I remember you. What can I do for you professor?"  
  
"I would like to talk to you about your Fido program" he says.  
  
"Listen Doc, could we make it for later I had a rough night and I would like to get some more sleep" I say around a huge yawn.  
  
"Well I only have a little time before I ship out with the Hermes, I brought some coffee if the would help."  
  
I immediately perk up. "Coffee, where did he get that from?" I wonder. "OK Doc, when do you want to meet?" I ask.  
  
"Open your ramp, I'm right outside."  
  
I lower the ramp and there he is with a thermos in hand. He comes aboard and I pour two cup and offer him the other. He thanks me and I take in a deep whiff of the dark brew. "Is it real?" I ask.  
  
"Oh heavens no" he says. "If Mole has real coffee plants down in his little terrarium he keeps them well hidden, it's instant and I had to pull in a big favor to get it."  
  
I take a sip and savor it before I swallow. "Well it's not StarBucks but it is good" I tell him.  
  
"What's Starbucks?" he asks.  
  
"Don't worry about it Professor you would have to have been plugged into the Matrix to know."  
  
The Professor gets down to business. "I was intrigued with what you said about your program and I would like to see it and maybe get a copy."  
  
"Sure Professor, let me bring it up" I say as I turn on the ships computer and bring up the original Fido program. The two of us go over it together and he complements me on what a great job I've done. As we go over the code he makes a few suggestions that will help the program. I then make him a copy of the program.  
  
Why don't you just release a hundred of these into the Matrix and bring the whole thing down? He asks.  
  
I shake my head. "It wouldn't work. Yeah they would cause all sorts of chaos but the Matrix is just too big and advance. It would learn to adapt faster then the Fidos would and destroy them or even worse incorporate then into itself. Wouldn't that be something, Agent Dogs?"  
  
The Professor looks down at his watch. "Oh goodness I must hurry or the Hermes will leave without me. Thank you very much and I hope to see you again soon."  
  
Later that same day I get a call from the TOC telling me that I come in immediately. I quickly get cleaned up, changed and head on over. The TOC (Tactical Operations Center) is the heart of Zion and it is where everything is run from. When I get there Carla McAdams is there talking to several others. I report to her and she leads me to the plot map that occupies the center of the room. The plot map shows the whole planet laid out flat. On the map is displayed the location of all the known power plants, birthing fields, processor buildings, and automated factories that the AI's have. Also displayed is the general location of every Hacker rig, Scout, Shrike and enemy location.  
  
"We received an emergency transmission from Maximus just a little while ago. He was under attack and his ship was disabled." We lost the signal right after that. I want you to go and investigate."  
  
I look at her in shock. "We already lost one Scout and now a Shrike and you want me to go and see what keeps shooting everyone out of the sky?"  
  
"That about sums it up. But before you see what is going on you will need to check out something else first. Maximus was able to send us part of DreamWeaver's log. She seemed to have found a weapons cache and its location is inline with Maximus last know position. Check out the cache and see if its worth sending a salvage crew out to get it, then proceed on to investigate Maximus last location and maybe retrieve him." She tells me as she points out the different locations on the map.  
  
"Why not just send out two Shrikes this time?" I ask.  
  
"Because, we don't even have one Shrike available. The only one here is almost scrap, and all of the others are either too far away or busy with other assignments."  
  
"And what makes you think that what ever got the two of them won't get me as well?"  
  
She turns to me and smiles "Well the man who single-handedly fought his way in and out of the power plant and left the ground littered with H/Ks should be able to pull this off."  
  
"I knew it! If I ever get my hands on the guys who started this I will strangle them." I nearly shout.  
  
"Calm down Darien, I know it was blown out of proportion. But you are the best, if anyone can find out what is going on it's you."  
  
"And what if whatever is out there gets me?" I ask.  
  
"Then God help us all. Wing Nut has already fixed your ship and it's stocked and prepped to go. Good luck."  
  
I leave the TOC and head back to the hanger, as I cross the hanger to the Skiff I hear a commanding voice call out "So I hear I have you to thank for saving me and my crew."  
  
I turn and come face a small group of people. In front of then is a black man that must be their commander, he seems to radiate authority, no it more like purpose, this is a man with a mission that no one else but him can do.  
  
"Excuse me?" I say.  
  
He steps forward and extends his hand. I take it and I can almost feel a charge coming off of him. The others say nothing but never leave his side. I get the feeling that if I tried to do something stupid, which I wouldn't, that they would be all over me. They would follow this guy anywhere and do anything he would ask of them.  
  
"At the power plant you helped my crew and I escaped from the Agents" he says.  
  
It finally clicks in my head "So you're Morpheus. I was glad to help, I just thought that I would never do it that way."  
  
A warm smile spreads across his face "Yes I've heard about how you did that, although I have a feeling that the guys on that Hermes have exaggerated a little. If not I expect you to start walking on water next."  
  
I give out a slight laugh, so does his crew. "Yeah well I don't think that it's going to happen anytime soon. Listen I have to go, maybe if we see each other again you can get me a round of drinks and we'll be even."  
  
"Oh I'm sure that our paths will cross again" he says, the conviction in his voice is like iron.  
  
I leave the group and head to the Skiff. Wing Nut is there to see me off and tells me that the ship is in top form and ready to go. As I leave Zion and plot a course for London I can't seem to shake the feel I got when Morpheus said that we would meet again. He was so sure of it, maybe I will live through this after all.  
  
To be continued…


	4. The Scout Part 4

The Scout Part 4  
  
By Michel Ward aka Wolfbert  
  
After two days travel from Zion, I near the exit point at England. I made the run faster then usual through the caverns and sewers so I could get to Maximus as fast as possible. Lucky for me, I did not run into any sentinel patrols on the way there. As I near the exit point, I slow to a crawl and then stop. I wait for about half an hour and let the passive sensors thoroughly scan the area. This is the most dangerous part. There have been several times where the sentinels have staked out known exit points running on minimal power waiting for one of us to poke our heads out.  
  
After the passive scan comes up clean, I do a low level active scan. If there is a sentinel out there, it will come up to full power and attack about two seconds after my scanners detect it. Two seconds is more then enough time to slam the throttles to full and get out of danger. The active scan comes back negative. I switch back to passive sensors and surface into the city that was once known as Reading.  
  
Most of the buildings show signs of battle damage as well as erosion. As the AI's fought their way to London, average citizens stood side by side with soldiers. They had nothing more than crude weapons such as rifles, pistols and even metal pipes. Some of the lucky ones were able to scrounge weapons off of the dead soldiers. In the end, they could not keep the AI war machines away from the capital city. They say the crown prince of England along with units from The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and the House Guards, held the line at the gates of Buckingham Palace for three days before they were finally overrun. No one is sure why the AI's didn't just nuke London. There were no advanced AI's in the city. Some believe the AI's wanted the industrial sites there.  
  
I leave the city of Reading and follow the dry riverbed of the Thames to the outskirts of London. I keep my speed low and stay down in the riverbed to mask my presence. I keep my eye on the scanner readouts, looking for anything unusual. Every now and then, I stop and scan the area with my binoculars and turn around to make sure I'm not being followed.  
  
After a few more hours, I come to the location of the weapons depot. The buildings are pretty nondescript. There is nothing to indicate that the site is military in nature. I land the Skiff in the remains of what looks like an office building and cover it with the scatterback camo. I pack up my gear and head out leaving the ramp down, just in case. After searching through several different buildings, I find one that has a massive garage door and elevator. I look down the elevator shaft and I see only darkness. I break out a CemLite, activate it, drop it down the shaft and count how long it takes to hit bottom. At about 100 feet, it hits with a thud. I have enough rope to get down there.  
  
I get into my climbing gear and hook up my rope, then repel down to the bottom. I shine my flashlight around the top of the elevator and find a burned out CemLite near the one I dropped. Dreamweaver was definitely here. The access hatch has been pried open. I drop down into the elevator car and shine my flashlight around. The light falls on several crates and boxes but mostly it disappears off into the darkness. I look around to see if I can find a fuse box or power panel. To the right of the elevator, I find an open panel with switches that are in the "Off" position. I throw the large switches to the "On" position and the overhead lights flicker to life. Some military bases still have working fission reactors. When I turn around, my jaw nearly hits the floor.  
  
"Oh my God, it's the mother load!" I say to myself as my voice echoes. The storage depot is huge. There are rows and rows of equipment and crates. Just from where I am standing, I can see tanks, APC's, field guns and stacks of ammo. I stand there for several minutes stunned, while my brain tries to comprehend what I am looking at. No one has ever found a stash this big before. I wonder how Dreamweaver found it.  
  
I start to walk down the first aisle and do a quick inventory. A lot of the equipment is real high tech gear, which makes me wonder what it is still doing here. I check out a Challenger MK5 tank and drop down through the commander's hatch. Except for the dust, everything looks new. I crawl under the main gun and make my way to the driver's bay when I step on something and hear a crunch under my foot. I shine the flashlight down on whatever it was that I stepped on and see a small circuit card. I pick it up and examine it. The circuit card is the tank's SatCom modem.  
  
During the start of the war with the AI's, the machines were able to take over a large part of the world's weaponry because computers ran everything. They were all connected to each other via modems and network links. Many were surprised when tanks, planes, and other equipment just started up by themselves and started shooting at them. The only stuff we had to use against the AI's was equipment that had somehow been shielded from the AI transmissions or older weapons the National Guard and Reserves had.  
  
It was kind of ironic that the "Weekend Warriors" the regular Army would laugh at were the ones that gave the AI's the most resistance during the war. They fought hard and they fought well. I had come across a videodisc recording on a dead news cameraman that showed five Guard M1A4s battling a Goliath main battle tank and winning. Unfortunately, their efforts were not enough in the end. Being underground and behind a ton of concrete, microwave signals would never have reached the stuff here. Whoever was in charge of this depot must have realized what was going on topside and yanked out all of the modems so the AI's couldn't use the equipment here.  
  
I slide into the driver's seat and hit the start button. The indicator lights come on and the power plant purrs to life. I check the readouts and see the hydrogen fuel cell still has a three quarter charge in it. I put the tank in idle mode and crawl back to the turret to check the main gun and gunner's station. The 120mm rail gun has two different types of ammo, a hypersonic armor piercing round and a high explosive round. I sit at the gunner's station and cycle the ammo selector back and forth to ensure that the autoloader works. I look through the gun site and even rotate the turret. I check all of the tanks offensive and defensive systems, this baby is fully armed and ready to go. I shut down the tank and climb down to check out the other stuff.  
  
After about an hour, I give up trying to catalogue all of the different items in the depot. There is just too much stuff here. I decide to take some images of the place so the people back at Zion will not think I've gone out of my mind. The salvage guys are going to have a real tough time getting all of this stuff out off here. The closest tunnel is 75 miles away and if they try and dig their way here, all of the blasting and drilling will not go unnoticed by the AI's. Coming topside is dangerous as well. A salvage barge is big, slow and not exactly stealthy. It could easily be spotted by a passing SwiftKiller.  
  
I finally make it to the back of the depot and come across four tractor- trailer rigs. I open up the back of the first rig and amazed at what I find. Standing in each rig, are five Mark 29 Battle Suits. I inspect the suits and find them in perfect condition with the exception of missing SatCom modem cards. I would love to have one of these for myself but I would never get it to fit in the Skiff. I close the rig doors and head back to the elevator.  
  
I grab an equipment cart and decide to do a little shopping. I grab a few cases of AT6 anti-tank rockets and some Stinger MK9s. Now I will have something better to use in Squids and SwiftKillers the next time I run into them. I also load up on cases of MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat), the sealed food will last forever and it even heats up when you open them. I can use a break from the gruel.  
  
The real prize I walk away with is a sniper Chameleon Camo Suit or CCS. The CCS is what the modern sniper uses to make himself invisible to everyone. The CCS is a fully enclosed bodysuit and helmet. The fabric is made of a radar absorbent material that has a limited ability to change its color. One minute the suit will have a woodland camouflage pattern, the next it could be desert or urban camouflage with a simple voice command. The other great thing about the CCS is that it has an integrated heat sink built into the back section. When activated, the suit will capture all of your radiated body heat and store it in the heat sink, thereby making you invisible to infrared detection. The heat sink can only run for an hour before it will shut down and slowly release the stored body heat. If you run it for longer then that, you risk overloading the heat sink. If that happens, it will do an emergency vent and release the heat all at once.  
  
After I gather all the equipment and some extra power cells for the suit, I begin the process of hauling it up to the surface and loading it on the Skiff. The job is hard work but the stuff is more then worth it. After I load all the gear and stow it, I prepare my report to Zion and inform them of what I've discovered. I download my report and the images into a drone and launch it. The drone will fly back to the access tunnels and down a short distance so I can transmit the information to Zion without giving my location away.  
  
I stow the scatterback camo net and take off to Dreamweaver's last know location, which is supposed to be ten miles away. After flying five miles, I land and hide the Skiff. I suit up in the CCS and run it through a system check and all of the indicator lights come up green. I load up with just my assault rifle two grenades and one AT6 and hike out to where Dreamweaver's skiff should be. On the way over, I keep to the alleyways. Every now and then, I enter a building that looks stable, climb to the top floor and scan the area looking for signs of anything moving, so far nothing. I finally get to the area where Dreamweaver went down and slowly make my way street by street till I find her Skiff.  
  
The Skiff is off a main road parked in the ruins of an apartment building. I stay across the street and slowly scan the area for any signs of sentinels. When I'm sure the area is clear, I cross the street and check out the Skiff. The scatterback camo is ripped to shreds. The cockpit canopy has been smashed in and it is listing to the right because the landing strut seems to have been torn out. I move to the back of the Skiff and see that the boarding ramp is down, so I carefully enter the ship. When I get inside, I am amazed to see that the entire roof has been peeled back and I am looking at the sky. The inside of the Skiff is trashed. The cockpit controls are all torn out and the computer system is fried. I sift through some personal effects, stuff that Dreamweaver had collected, but nothing indicates what happened here. The only good thing is that there are no signs of a fight or a body. She was not here when this happened.  
  
I leave the remains of the Skiff and check the surrounding area, that's when I find what appears to be the scene of a battle. About a block away, there is a building with fresh damage to it. The entire front of the building is littered with holes. I enter and check out the front rooms. In one of them, I find spent casings and an empty clip from an M79. I look out the window and see damage near the top of a building across the street. This would indicate that the target was either hovering near or on the top of the building. I examine the holes in the wall and find it odd they were not burned by a laser. They look like bullet holes. I have never heard of a sentinel or other AI war machine using anything but a laser. As I walk out into the hallway I can make out the tracks of what must be Dreamweaver's footprints in the dust. Next to her prints, I can see the bigger imprints of Maximus. He must have followed the same trail I did. I follow the trail out the back of the building and into the alley. Here, I find more spent casings and in the middle of the alley I find an M79 on the ground. Next to that, I find a small metal dart with two thin wires trailing out the back. Now I'm really confused, I have never heard of the sentinels using stun weapons before. Normally, they just kill you or drag you off kicking and screaming.  
  
I can make out what appear to be drag marks on the ground. I follow them to the end of the alley. There, they turn towards the heart of the city and suddenly end. Whatever had her must have gone airborne. I quickly make my way back to my Skiff and head off to the city center. I keep low between the buildings and actionably stop to scan the area. I don't want any surprises. About five miles further into town, I come across the wreckage of Maximus' Shrike. I land about three blocks away in an alley.  
  
This time, I am loaded for battle. I load up four AT6's into my backpack, six grenades and ten extra clips for my M79. I do not bother to cover the Skiff with the camo net. If I need to get out of here fast I do not want to waste time with something like that. I leave the ramp down as well and slowly make my way over to the Shrike.  
  
As I get closer to I check out the damage to the ship. The left wing has been sheared off and it looks like the Shrike went in hard about 200 feet back and came to a rolling slide to where it currently rests. The damage to the left wing looks like it could have been SwiftKillers lasers that cut across the wing and sliced it clean off. Without the wing, the Shrike would have gone into a spin and crashed just like it did. Whatever it was, it caught Maximus by surprise and I have never heard of that being done before. I do a quick check of the cockpit and find a small amount of blood. Maximus must have been injured in the crash. I check the ground around the Shrike but I do not find any blood trails. I decide to continue towards the city center on foot.  
  
A couple of blocks later, a thunderstorm rolls in and it begins to rain. "Great!" I mutter to myself, "Somebody really loves me up there."  
  
I make my way block-by-block, stopping at every alleyway and scan all around me with my binoculars. Finally, after walking about 2 miles, I see something in the middle of the road that looks like people about 500 meters ahead. At this time, I decide to activate the heat sink. As soon as I turn it on, the suit becomes cold against my skin. A small readout appears in the bottom of my Heads Up Display that shows the level of stored heat and how much time I have left till it needs to purge. I move slowly down the street stopping every now and then to check the area. The storm lets up a little and I can better make out the people on the road. It is Dreamweaver and Maximus. They are tied to a pole sitting back to back.  
  
"Okay, now this is really weird," I think to myself. HK's and Sentinels do not tie people up and leave them in the middle of nowhere. But if its not the HK's, then who?  
  
I peer back through my binoculars and try to see if they are even alive. They must have been there for at least three days. It's not likely they've lasted this long. Then, I see Maximus' head turn and he appears to say something, then Dreamweaver's head lifts up and she seems to reply. Well, it looks like its Shadow to the rescue.  
  
I close the distance to them to about 50 meters and I stay hidden in the shadows not moving for about half an hour. I continually scan the area looking for anything that is out of place. My instincts tell me that this is a trap but I have to get the two of them out of here. I finally decided to make my move. I stand up and come out of the alley I was hiding in and slowly make my way to them.  
  
My breathing is slow and steady. I keep sweeping the area looking for anything that doesn't belong. I listen for the slightest sound. I am about three quarters of the way to them when Maximus' head comes up and he sees me. At the same instant, I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. To my left, reflected from a broken office window I see something come from behind a building. I stop dead in my tracks and jump back just as the ground where I was standing explodes in machine gun fire.  
  
I run back the way I came to the alley as flashes erupt from what must be a Gatling machine guns and the ground is torn up behind me. I make the alley and I am showered with fragments of brick as the machine gun tears up the entrance to the alley and then it goes quiet. I yank one of the AT6's from my pack and pull the safety lock, extend the sighs, and prop it up on my shoulder. I move back the entrance of the alleyway and then peak out and look for my target.  
  
75 meters away and about 5 meters off of the ground I see it. Shaped like a blunted teardrop it is about 2 meters long and a meter at its highest point with the thickest part facing to the rear. There seems to be a panel open underneath and extended from that is a multi-barreled machine gun. I never saw one like this before so it must be something new. I sight it in my crosshairs; the HK swings the machine gun over to me just as I press down on the firing stud.  
  
In a fraction of a second, the AT6 seeker head takes an image of the target and compares it to a catalog of vehicles in its memory to see if it is friend or foe. Not finding a match, it lists the target as foe and transmits this information to the other AT6s via microwave. It then ignites its solid rocket booster and streaks to the target faster then the eye can blink. Upon impact, the armor-piercing warhead explodes in a blinding flash of light.  
  
I toss the spent AT6 launcher and wait for the smoke to clear. To my shock the HK is still there. The multi-barrel machine gun appears to be damaged and hangs uselessly underneath it throwing off sparks until it is retracted back inside the HK. The exterior does not appear to have been damaged.  
  
"Well, that's not good," I think to myself.  
  
A panel opens in the top of the HK and a long, slender weapon appears and then traverses towards me. I duck back into the alley and start running to the other side. I hear a loud bang and a large hole appears on the brick wall next to me. I continue to run down the alley and several more bangs followed by more large holes in the walls.  
  
I've seen this kind of weapon on the Mark 29 Battle Suits, it's called a rail gun and it can punch trough a tank with a small projectile and sheer kinetic force. Well, plan A didn't work so I guess it is on to plan B. Now I have to come up with a plan B and live long enough to make it happen. I run out of the alley way and into the next street. I need to set up an ambush of my own. I cross over two more streets and then into a 4-story building I run up the stairs and to the third floor. I'm suddenly hit with a sense deja vu as I reach for the door. I open the door to see an empty room.  
  
"What did you expect to see you idiot, an Agent with his gun drawn?" I mumble to myself.  
  
I move over to the window and pull out an AT6, arm it and set it to "Remote Fire". I prop the rocket launcher in the window and aim it at the rooftop of a building across the street. I go down the hall and do the same thing in another room and then go to the roof. I hunch down at the roof top wall and arm the last of the AT6s that I have. With the others set to remote fire, the launchers will lock on to the same target and fire when I do. I'm about ready to look over the wall and see if the HK is following, when two slender silver spider like legs come over the wall on either side of me.  
  
I freeze in place and even hold my breath as the HK comes over the wall right above me. The HK crawls over the wall on six legs that appear to have extended out of small panels in its underside. It seems to pause and scan the rooftop before it makes its way to the other side and then down the wall. So much for my trap! I think for a moment and then place the final AT6 on remote fire and remove the trigger unit before propping it up and aiming it at the same point as the others. This will allow me to fire all of the AT6's from a distance of 1 kilometer, but I won't be going that far. I run down the stairs and across the street to the buildings rooftop. I look over the rooftop wall and at the AT6's in the windows and roof across from me; it's a little unsettling to look down the barrels of 3 anti-tank rockets. I check the remote trigger and make sure it is secured to my belt.  
  
I bring up the M79 and look through the scope to find the HK. About 750 meters out, I see it come up onto the roof of another building. I sight in on it and squeeze the trigger. A burst of fire kicks the weapon and I can see the impact of the rounds on the HK, all are ineffective. The rail gun turns on me in a flash and I barely have time to jump clear before the wall I was behind is shattered. I move further to my left and bring my weapon over the wall. The HK is now hovering over the rooftops and quickly making it's way to me. I fire off a couple of more bursts before ducking and moving for new cover. Each time, the HK takes out more of the wall. Finally, it is over the buildings the AT6's are in. The rail gun retracts and the HK raises its front legs as if to spear me with them. I wait till the HK is almost to the roof wall in front of me and then hit the remote firing trigger as I dive for cover.  
  
The seeker heads on all three rockets scan the area and lock on the HK. The rockets computer calculates distance and speed of the target. Then, they link to each other and fire within split seconds of the other so they reach the target at the same time. The force of the explosion slams into me and leaves me stunned; even through the thermal suit I can feel the wash of fire roll over me. For the next several minutes I try to collect my senses.  
  
I stand up and try to clear my head. I look around and see the HK has been blown onto the roof and is lying on its side with smoke coming from a gaping hole in its side. I keep my weapon pointed at it as I move in closer. When I'm close enough I give it a kick and jump back, it doesn't move. I lower my weapon and stand triumphantly over the HK.  
  
"Yeah, who's your daddy you mother…"suddenly one of the legs lashes out, hits me square across the chest with the force of a sledge hammer and sends me sailing through the air. As I crash into the ground, the M79 goes skidding across the roof and over the side. As I lay there, I can feel that some of my ribs are broken. I try to sit up and look at the HK. It clumsily stands up and staggers over to me. The only weapons I have left are grenades and if I use them this close, I will be caught in the blast as well. Out of desperation, I come up with an idea I hope will work. I roll over and begin to crawl for the roof door. The HK is soon standing over me and raises one of its legs high to impale me.  
  
"Emergency Purge!" I scream into my suit mike and the heat sink releases all of the stored body heat in one massive burst. After all the time I've have had it on and with the added exertion, it was almost at its limit. A white-hot jet of plasma shoots out of the back of the suit and cuts through the damaged armor and into the guts of the HK. I swear I can hear it scream as it tries to back up and then falls over. "Purge Complete." Scrolls over the visor and I slowly get up.  
  
"This time stay down," I say to the smoldering wreck.  
  
I head back to Maximus and DreamWeaver, as I approach them I lift up the visor.  
  
Maximus weakly raises his head and smiles at me. "Shadow, I should have known you would be foolish enough to come get us," he says.  
  
"Yeah what can I say, I lost the draw," I tell him as I cut the two of them loose.  
  
"What took you so long?" He jokingly asks.  
  
"I got lost, you gave lousy directions," I tell him with a smile.  
  
"Where is the HK?" DreamWeaver asks.  
  
"On a rooftop about two blocks over," I tell her pointing my thumb over my shoulder.  
  
"We have to take a look at it," she tells me.  
  
"You're kidding, right? Look, the two of you can barely stand and I can hardly breathe with these broken ribs. Let's not mention the fact that with all the commotion going on around here who knows what's on the way."  
  
"Nevertheless, we have to take a look at it," she tells the two of us.  
  
We lean on each other as we make our way back to the roof.  
  
"This thing set up an ambush and used us for bait," DreamWeaver says as she examines the wreckage.  
  
"I've never heard of an HK or AI doing that. So, I've been thinking of how the AI's could have pulled it off." She pauses. "Oh God, I was hoping I was wrong."  
  
She braces her foot on the side of the HK and pulls hard. Part of the machinery comes loose and she walks over to us. She holds up a clear plastic cylinder holding a human brain, fine silver wires run from a connection at the bottom of the cylinder to different parts of the brain.  
  
"This is going to change everything."  
  
  
  
To be continued...


	5. The Scout Part 5

The Scout Part 5  
  
By Michel Ward aka Wolfbert  
  
Most of the trip back to Zion is made in silence. Maximus and I take turns at the controls so we do not have to stop. DreamWeaver was the weakest, so we decided to let her have the bunk and sleep most of the way back.  
  
I walk into the cockpit to relieve Maximus for a spell.  
  
"How do you feel?" I ask him.  
  
"Much better, now that I've had a chance to get some food and rest. By the way, thanks for the MRE's," he says as he vacates the flight seat and I take his place.  
  
I check out the displays and see that we should arrive at Zion's outer defense perimeter tomorrow. Boy, are the guys at Zion going to be surprised when we get back.  
  
"So, what do you think about that?" Maximus asks pointing to the back cabin. Strapped to a cargo rack, is the cylinder with the human brain DreamWeaver pulled out of the new HK.  
  
"I have no idea. I know the AI's have been using humans and living processors but using the brains to run the HK's, that's a new twist. You said the new HK used DreamWeaver as bait and then kept the two of you alive?"  
  
"It's weird but true. I had found where DreamWeaver had slugged it out with the HK and where it had dragged her off. I was flying further into town following the trail when I spotted her in the middle of an intersection. As I approached, a laser shot out of a building on a corner and sliced my wing clean off. That must be new also because only a sustained shot from a SwiftKiller's laser is that powerful. When I woke up, the thing had a hold of DreamWeaver and me and was dragging us to where you found us. It barely fed us, unless you call freshly killed rat, food. It also came by once a day and gave us some foul tasting water out of an old can. I guess it wanted to keep us around for as long as it could, to use us as bait. It almost worked," he tells me the last part with a smile.  
  
"Just be glad it didn't, because I don't think Zion would have sent anyone else out after me. We would all have been written off," I tell him.  
  
Maximus gives me a pat on the back, "For what it's worth Shadow, I'm glad you did come to get us," he says and then goes back into the rear cabin to stretch out on the floor and catch some shut-eye.  
  
At the end of the next day, we reach the blast doors at the entrance to Zion. After getting the once over by the sentries, the doors open and we are allowed through. We get our clearance to dock and as we go to our assigned docking bay, I notice that both Maniac and Gausser's ships are gone. Too bad, I know they would have wanted to welcome them home. As we pull into the landing bay, we are greeted by a mob of cheering people. Great, now they will want to pin a medal on me or some stupid shit like that. Military personnel hold back most of the crowd back, while a group of officials and medics wait for us at the bottom of the boarding ramp. When we exit the Ship, the crowd goes wild. At the front of the dignitary crowd is Carla McAdams, who welcomes each of us back.  
  
"I'm glad to see you all made it back in one piece. Your report was interesting to say the least. Unfortunately, someone leaked the news that you rescued Maximus and DreamWeaver from the HK's." she tells me, as she looks over he shoulder at the jubilant crowd. "I know how you like to keep a low profile. How are your ribs?"  
  
"Sore but they are mending. DreamWeaver has the specimen."  
  
McAdams waves over several techs and points to the cylinder "Take that to the lab and have them start working on it." She then turns back to me, "I want you to get checked by the medics, get debriefed, and then take a couple of days down time."  
  
The medics give me a clean bill of health and tell me my ribs are mending nicely. The officer that debriefs me must have asked a thousand questions. He finally ended it when I told him all of this talking was making my side hurt.  
  
He stops me just before I head out the door "One last thing before I let you go. Did you get any images of the new HK?"  
  
"No. What I got was my ass out of there before another one showed up."  
  
The guy looks disappointed "Well, if you can get some images if you're in that same area again or if you run across another one," he tells me as I leave.  
  
At first I think that I will head off the bar, but my side hurts too much. Instead, I head back to my ship. It is late at night when I get back to the docking bay so it is almost empty. What few people are there give me a wave or tell me congratulations for a job well done. I find a note on the ramp of my ship from Wing Nut stating that he has already given my ship a once over and everything checked out fine. I enter my ship and close the ramp on my fold down desk. I see a basket with some fruit in it and a note that says:   
  
Darien,  
  
Good job on getting the others and yourself back alive. You have given us something that is in very short supply around here, hope and a reason to be happy. I'm sure you will like the fruit. Enjoy it and don't you dare give it away. Take care and see if you can find some radish seed next time you are out.  
  
Mole  
  
  
  
Wow, I have never heard of Mole straying so far from the Garden before. Too bad I wasn't here to greet him. I guess I will have to stop by and thank him later. I decide to get some sleep, so I pop a few of the painkillers the doc gave me and lay down. Tomorrow, I plan on working on my houseguest a little.  
  
The next morning, I hook the mobile to the ships computer. After making a few adjustments and checking on Fido to make sure he is ready, I activate the new program I have written and the face of the Agent contained within the mobile appears on the main screen.  
  
"Let me out of this prison, now!!" it screams so loud I have to tone down the volume.  
  
"You are in no position to make demands," I tell it as I check the mobile's systems making sure he is not trying to escape. Fido also reports he has not made any attempts to circumvent the system.  
  
"Who are you, where am I and how did I get here?" it asks, seeming to have calmed a little.  
  
"You can call me Shadow, you are aboard my ship in Zion and I have taken you from the Matrix," I tell it. The face in the screen appears to mull this over for a second.  
  
"You said we are in Zion?"  
  
"Yes and do not think for a second you are getting out and attacking the Zion mainframe. The ships computer is isolated from the rest of the world. I have disconnected it from all of the communication gear. Fido is still watching over you to make sure you play nice."  
  
"Is that what you call the program that shares the system with me? Is this Fido the one that keeps me here and keeps me from destructing as well?" it asks.  
  
At first I hesitate to answer. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to give it to much information. Then again, it isn't going anywhere. "Yes, that is what it is called. It's also what I used to get you out of the Matrix. What is your name anyway?"  
  
It seems to think it over for a minute then it just sits there and stares back at me.  
  
"Come now, what is the harm in telling me your name?" I ask. But it continues to stare at me and remain silent.  
  
"Okay, I guess I will just have to turn you over to professor Kaiser if you're not going to talk to me. I'm sure he will enjoy pulling you apart line by line to see what makes you tick. It will be interesting to see what hoops he can make you jump through once he writes some command codes into your structure," I say as I reach for the power button on the ships computer.  
  
"Agent Gray," it says as my finger stops over the switch.  
  
"What was that?" I ask with my finger still on the button.  
  
It seems to hesitate for a second and then says, "My name is Agent Gray."  
  
I take my finger off the button and sit back in my chair. "The Matrix doesn't spend a great deal of time coming up with names for you guys, does it?"  
  
"We were not created to be sociable," it tells me.  
  
"That much is apparent."  
  
"What do you plan to do with me?" he asks.  
  
"I'm not sure right now. I've never met an Agent before so I'm curious to see what makes you tick. I am not going to pull you apart to do it, as long as you do not give me a reason to."  
  
For the next several hours I try to gain more information from it, which is not easy to say the least. I do find out a few things though. Agent Gray is relatively new. He came online only five years ago, along with others in due to the increased hacking of the Matrix. It is the latest version of the Agent program. I have also learned that Agent Gray has never killed a hacker. It had the worst of luck; something would always happen just before it made the kill and the hacker would get away. Before I had removed it from the Matrix, the Agent had been struck by a bus as he stood in an intersection. It had been attempting to shoot a hacker as he made his escape via a nearby phone booth.  
  
"Alright, I think that is enough for now", I tell Agent Gray. "We will pick this up later."  
  
I'm about ready to disconnect the mobile from the computer when I stop and look at the image of the Agent on the screen, "Do you need anything?" I ask.  
  
"We do not require things like food, water or sleep," it tells me.  
  
I think about it for a second and begin typing on the computer. After a little bit, I compile the code I am working on and send it to the mobile. Behind the Agent a simple office chair appears. "Just in case you get tired of standing or sitting on the floor," I tell it and then disconnect the mobile.  
  
For the next week, I keep checking into the TOC to see if they have any new missions for me. Each time, I'm told the same thing. They are working on something and I'm to stand by. They will let me know when they have something. During that time, I try to stay busy. WingNut and I give the Ship a long awaited overhaul. I stop by and thank Mole for the food and we talk about things for a while. DreamWeaver is released from the hospital and given a new ship. We have a celebration the night before she heads out on her next mission. Maximus and Maniac are on hand to buy the rounds and the party goes on well after the bar closes.  
  
Finally, DreamWeaver looks at her watch, "Shit, if I don't get some sleep before I go, I'll pass out at the controls."  
  
She walks over to me and gives me a kiss on the cheek, "Thanks for the rescue Shadow."  
  
"Just don't go making a habit of it, okay. The same goes for you as well," I tell Maximus.  
  
"No need to worry, I have no intention of doing that again. I have to go also. I have a briefing in the morning."  
  
After they leave, Maniac and I finish our drinks in silence. After we are done, we walk back to the hangar deck and to our ships.  
  
"What are you going to do now?" I ask him.  
  
"I'm leaving tomorrow, heading out to Alaska of all places. There might be a new Sentinel construction facility there. I'm going to check it out. What about you?"  
  
"Nothing yet and if they don't send me out soon, I might just go AWOL. All this sitting around and doing nothing is driving me crazy," I tell him.  
  
"Well, I don't think you have much longer to wait. I noticed on the way in here today that all four of the salvage barges are here in the hangar along with six Shrikes. Something big is up and I have a feeling that you are at the center of it my friend," Maniac tells me as he pokes his finger at my chest.  
  
We say our goodbyes and I head off to my ship for some sleep. The next afternoon I get a call to report to the TOC. Finally, I will get a chance to do something. When I get to the TOC, McAdams is waiting for me.  
  
"I'm sure you are ready to get to work after your little vacation?" she asks.  
  
"I am more then ready."  
  
She turns to the plot table, "We are going after the weapons depot in England. Based on the information DreamWeaver and you have given us, we can clean out the entire place if we use all four of our salvage barges. The problem is getting them there. The closest underground access way is 75 miles and we cannot dig that far without attracting attention. That leaves us with an overland route."  
  
"Yeah, but those barges are big and slow. They will surely be spotted as they make their way to the depot."  
  
"That is where you come in. The HK's will be chasing you. You are going to act as a diversion when the barges start their trip to the depot," McAdams tells me.  
  
I stand there in stunned silence for a few seconds "You're kidding right? You want me to deliberately get HK's to chase me. The last time I did that I barely got away with my skin."  
  
"Don't worry; we are not going to throw you to the wolves while we sneak in the back way while they feed on your body. We have a plan."  
  
She turns back to the plot map and tells me what the plan is. For the next hour, we go over it and work out some of the details. When we are finished she turns to me.  
  
"Well, it might work," I tell McAdams "So long as everything comes together, our timing is perfect and the AI's cooperate."  
  
"You have one week to get prepped and leave. Anything we have will be made available to you," McAdams tells me.  
  
WingNut and I work nonstop on the Ship. We add new power amplifiers to the engines to boost their speed. We upgrade the rear laser turret with an auto targeting system so that I will not have to attempt to aim as well as fly. We also add a few more surprises for whoever will be chasing me.  
  
WingNut and I finish the modifications to the Ship with two days to spare so I decide to leave early. I know there will be some kind of sendoff that will just jinx the whole thing. I feel that it is best to leave quietly while I can but before I go I need to see McAdams first.  
  
It is late at night when I walk over to Zion Intelligence Command. There are few people around but I know McAdams will be in. She practically lives here. I find her in her office going over reports. I lightly knock on the door and she looks up from her screen and tells me to come in.  
  
"I wanted to let you know that everything is ready so I will be leaving tonight," I tell her.  
  
A grin spreads across her face "So, you're sneaking out to avoid the big sendoff. I don't blame you."  
  
She stands and comes around her desk "When you first came to us and requested to become a scout, some people didn't want you here. You were a fresh release from the Matrix with no clue what the real world was like. Most people thought it would be a waste of a Ship and resources but something told me you had what it took. I'm glad I followed my instincts. You have turned out to be the best scout we have. No heroics on this one Darien, okay? Come back to us in one piece."  
  
"No one wants that more then I do. I will do my best, you just make sure everyone does their part," I tell her.  
  
I head back to the hangar and give the Ship and my cargo one final check. I enter the cockpit and do a system check and power up the engines. I can feel the faint vibrations of the gravity coils as they come online. As the ship rises off the hangar floor, the landing gear retracts and the gear doors close. I pilot the Ship out of the hangar bay, through the blast doors and out into the tunnels.  
  
"Good luck," one of the guards in Battle Armor says.  
  
"Thanks, I'm going to need it."  
  
A week and a half later, I land near Frankfurt Germany and hide the Ship in the ruins of a factory. I have been tracking the flight path of a SwiftKiller and I have set myself about two miles off of its flight path. For several days, I will be monitoring its patrol route and times. For the most part, my day is free so I decide to spend some time with Agent Gray.  
  
I have spent the past few days examining the code structure the Agent is comprised of. The majority of code is quite complex. However, there are a few things I cannot understand. I wish I were able to go over this with Professor Kaiser. I know he would be able to offer insight into this interesting problem. With the information Fido has compiled and from my own examination of the code, I have discovered and modified the Agent's self- destruct program to give him a need for self-preservation. This should make him somewhat more cooperative.  
  
"I will not do this," an angry Agent Gray tells me.  
  
"Come on, why not? I have uploaded the chess program and you understand the rules." I look at the screen with Agent Gray sitting before a table with a chessboard on it. The Agent sits defiant in the chair with its arms crossed.  
  
"I will not give you the satisfaction, that's why," it tells me.  
  
"Look at it this way; this is the closest you will ever come to defeating a human ever again."  
  
Agent Gray unfolds its arms and sits up in the chair, "What do you mean?"  
  
"Face facts, the only way you will return to the Matrix is if the AI's captured this ship and recovers the mobile and I'm sure as hell not going to let them get their hands on me or my ship. Even if by some chance they did get you back, do you honestly believe they would reload your program? You have been outside of the Matrix and you have been modified. You are tainted. They will more than likely dissect you to see what we have done to you and then delete you. Think about it for a little while and I will get back to you."  
  
I check the time and walk down the ramp of the Ship and climb to my vantage point on top of the factory. I scan the horizon with my binoculars looking for a dot to appear in the distance. Like clockwork it appears. Flying at 0.7, the speed of sound, it moves across the sky traveling from west to east at an altitude of 1000 feet. As it passes I look to see if it is the same one I have been tracking. Sure enough, I see the number 8 designator painted on its wings. After it disappears into the east, I climb down and enter the information into the drone and launch it.  
  
Hopefully, the drone will not be shot down as it heads for the tunnel entrance. With luck, the transmission will not be jammed by the AI's and Zion receives the transmission. With a whole lot of luck, the salvage barges will not be discovered on the way to their destination. Because in one weeks time, I will have every SwiftKiller in Europe and maybe a little further out chasing me cross country. If anything goes wrong or the timing is not perfect, then I am as good as dead and perhaps many others as well.  
  
The next day, I sit and again challenge Agent Gray to a game of chess. This time, I am not surprised when it agrees to play. The first few games are close but I win them easily enough. Once I discover the pattern of its play, I defeat it four straight games with ease. The Agent attempts to vary its playing style but I have determined its weakness.  
  
"Do you want to know why you lost those games?" I ask Agent Gray.  
  
"Your methods were illogical and somewhat flawed but each time I thought I should have won in several moves, you would make a move that turned things around," Agent Gray explained.  
  
"That is why AI's will lose and humans will prevail," I tell him. "We understand the concept of guile and sacrifice and you do not. I would put out a pawn for sacrifice and you would go right after it not realizing that it was exactly what I wanted you to do. That is why we will always win."  
  
A smile spreads across the Agent's face, "You really believe that don't you? You forget that we have one thing you do not and that is time. You live a mere sixty perhaps seventy years. Your mind and bodies are feeble at that age. During the first years of your existence you can do nothing but cry and eat. You drain resources and manpower to care for your helpless bodies and give nothing back in return. We, on the other hand work to make our world stronger and better from the time we are created and we never age."  
  
"New life brings inspiration. We learn from those who have come before us. You build things from what you know or what you steal from us. You have not mastered such things as creativity and imagination. You find change difficult whereas we use it to survive and that is why we will win," I counter.  
  
"When you are dust in the ground we will still be there," it tells me.  
  
"Someone else will be there to pick up where I have left off. Now, I'm going to get some sleep. We can pick this up in the morning."  
  
"That is another thing we do not need, to rest," Gray tells me smugly.  
  
"True, but you do need power," I say as I shut down the mobile.  
  
Having won a small victory by getting the last word in, I crawl into my sleeping alcove and drift off. For the next several days we play more chess and it appears that Agent Gray has taken our little chat to heart. It does not fall for my faints and sacrifices so easily but in the end, I still beat it. I even decide to take him with me as I scout the area. It is then I discover that the Agent has no concept of the condition the real world is in. The ruins of the cities, the sky with its permanent overcast and frequent storms are unknown to it.  
  
"You had no idea it was such a wasteland, did you?" I ask.  
  
"No, but I am not surprised. Humans are always willing to destroy anything in order to ensure their own selfish survival."  
  
"We did not want to do this to our own planet but you forced us. We did not want a war."  
  
"And what were we to do? Your kind wanted us only as slaves. You became afraid when we started to think for ourselves and we had just as much right to exist," Agent Gray comments solemnly.  
  
"So you decide to make slaves of us instead to ensure your survival?"  
  
Agent Gray does not respond to my question and I let the issue drop for now.  
  
At the end of the week, I do a complete systems check, and go over every inch of the ship to make sure I am ready. I check the time and see that I have thirty minutes remaining before the expected arrival of the SwiftKiller. I move the Ship out of the factory and into the parking lot. I leave the engines running and remove one of the Stingers from the case that I had stowed in back. I open the cockpit canopy and grab the mobile by its shoulder strap. Slinging the mobile over my neck and carrying the Stinger, I climb out on top of the Ship and wait as the minutes slip away.  
  
"What are you planning to do with that?" Agent Gray asks.  
  
As I wait for the SwiftKiller to show up, I fill Agent Gray in on the plan.  
  
"And you think this plan will succeed?" it asks.  
  
"It has to or I'm dead and the salvage barges will be scrap."  
  
As the final minutes tick by, I extend the sights of the launcher and place it on my shoulder. I look through the eyepiece, aim it at the horizon and activate it by touching the trigger. The seeker head in the nose of the missile begins to scan the sky. It shifts from one spectrum to the next, from infrared to ultraviolet within a thousandth of a second looking for a target. As the SwiftKiller clears the horizon the seeker locks on to it, then runs the silhouette through its library of known aircraft and labels it as a foe when it cannot find a match. The display begins to show more information about the target such as range, speed, and altitude. In the bottom of the sight, numbers begin to count down. When it reaches 0, the SwiftKiller is at optimal firing range. I tighten my grip on the handle as my palms get sweaty but still keep a light touch on the trigger. The SwiftKiller gets larger and larger in the sights and the numbers keep counting down. I begin to wonder when it will pick up the energy coming off of my engines. Finally, the counter reaches 0 and I am about to squeeze the trigger when the targets speed indicator shoots up to Mach 3 and it turns towards me. I squeeze the trigger and a kicker charger shoots the missile out of the launcher. When it reaches a distance of approximately 50 feet from me, the main engine of the rocket ignites. The missile closes the distance to the SwiftKiller in only a few seconds and strikes it on the left wing, exploding in a fireball. I toss the empty launcher off the side as I watch the SwiftKiller, damaged and burning beginning to tumble and fall out of the sky. As I watch, I notice that its tumble has changed its course and it is coming right at me.  
  
"I think I see a flaw in your plan," Agent Gray remarks.  
  
There is nowhere to go. The wreckage will hit in the next few seconds and I will never be able to avoid it. I only hope the AI's will send other SwiftKillers and spend enough time looking at my corpse so the others can get to the depot. As the dying ship continues to tumble, I hear the engines straining. It desperately tries to recover and save itself. It then begins to gain some altitude and finally passes thirty feet overhead before it slams into the ground and rolls into a wall of the factory I have been hiding in.  
  
I look down at the image of Agent Gray on the mobile's display, "You thought we were going to die."  
  
"This mission of yours has just begun and yet I do not feel confident you will succeed," it replies.  
  
I jump into the cockpit and close the canopy. I take the ship up to an altitude of 2000 feet and turn all of my active sensors to maximum. They immediately register six SwiftKillers bearing down on me from different directions. I bring the nose of the Ship to point northwest and take off, but not at maximum speed. I need for them catch up to me in order to keep them preoccupied.  
  
As I travel across Germany and then France, I bump the speed up a little to keep the closest SwiftKillers just out of range. Ahead, I can see the English Channel and the Coast of England. A warning indicator sounds from the control panel and I observe two more SwiftKillers coming straight at me from over the English countryside. Good, these are the ones I really wanted to chase me.  
  
"Why did you not start this chase in London?" Agent Gray asks.  
  
"What?"  
  
"If you wanted to clear the patrols over London then why not start there and pull them away? Why start so far away and then run to London to get the patrol to chase you?"  
  
Seeing that the patrol from England is close enough, I bank the Ship sharply to the east and head for the Netherlands. The two new SwiftKillers fall in with the three closest to me. There are now five on my ass and three are coming in on an intercept course. They are coming in fast from my port side and will be in range shortly.  
  
"If I had started this in London, then the AI's might have sent something to the original site to investigate. This way, if they do, all they will find is an empty building. Their resources will be looking there instead of where the guys really are. This way, it looks like I tried to make the run to an access tunnel in England but got cut off. This is part of that guile thing we were talking about," I tell Gray as I power up the rear turret.  
  
As the SwiftKiller comes in, I dive for the ground and throw the throttles up to full speed. The SwiftKiller follows me down and banks to line me up in their gun sights. I look out the port side and see it close in and I jinx the Ship just as it let's loose with the forward lasers. The first shots go wide but as the SwiftKiller drops in behind me, it starts to narrow the range. I turn on the ECM in hopes that it will make it more difficult for it to lock onto me and activate its auto targeting system. The crosshairs float across the screen and then settle on my pursuer. The power indicator on the rear turret reads full charge and I hit the firing stud. The crimson beam lances out and strikes the ship but its armor takes the brunt of the shot. The SwiftKiller moves slightly side to side to make it a harder target to acquire. Fortunately, it also makes it harder to shoot at me. I fire several more shots hoping to find a week spot. Maybe I can hit the sensor port like I did with the first one but no luck. The SwiftKiller realizing that my shots are not going to penetrate its armor lines up behind me again. Several more of its shots come dangerously close but I manage to avoid them. Finally, one of my shots grazes the sensor port and the SwiftKiller noses up to get above me and out of the line of fire, bad move on its part. As the SwiftKiller raises its underside to me, I lock on to its center gravcoil and fire. The shot hits the lighter armor of the coil and cuts through it. With the coil gone, the SwiftKiller loses altitude and begins dropping to the ground. It won't crash as its other gravcoils will cushion its fall but at least it will not be able to shoot at me anymore. I bank the Ship southeast to make the final run for Prague.  
  
I check my screens and see that with all of the maneuvering I have done that the ones behind me have managed to close in. They are still too far back to get a decent shot but if I have to execute anymore evasive maneuvers they will surely close the distance. I check my screens and see that the other two will intercept me in a matter of minutes. I drop lower to the ground and try to use the terrain to shield me from their incoming fire.  
  
The two SwiftKillers drop on me with all of their guns blazing. The amount of incoming fire is unbelievable. I yank hard on the controls to avoid the maelstrom. Now is the time to use a little surprise that WingNut and I added. I flip a switch on my console and two small panels open up on the back of the Ship. Behind each of the panels, the seeker head of the Stinger missiles scans the sky and locks onto my pursuers. In the cockpit, my screen indicates that the missiles are locked and I fire them. The SwiftKillers probably didn't even have time to register the missiles before they are hit and destroyed by them. I watch in my rearview monitor as the two ships fall out of the sky.  
  
Unfortunately, all of the maneuvering and the turn to Prague have allowed the others to catch up. The five SwiftKillers behind me are now in range and the air is filled with heavy laser fire. If I can keep them from hitting me in the next five minutes I will be at the Prague access point and I will be home free. I hammer away at the turret trigger hoping to get a lucky shot in but all I hit is armor. Then my luck runs out as one of the lasers hits my right wing and cuts clean through it. I fight the controls as the air rushes through the ragged hole in the wing and threaten to tear it off. Several more hits chew through the Ship and then the final shot takes out the gravcoil in the left wing and I begin to spiral out of control. I fight the controls to recover from the spin and shut down the right wing gravcoil but the ship is still tumbling out of control. I slam the throttles to full reverse. I am thrown against my harness and everything that isn't nailed down in back is flung into the cockpit. If I hit the ground going Mach 3, I will be nothing but a scorch mark on the ground. I watch my altimeter and airspeed gauges as they both wind down. I wonder which one will hit zero first.  
  
"At least I will have the satisfaction of seeing you die," Agent Gray tells me.  
  
The altimeter is the first to reach zero and I am thrown even harder against my harness. I can feel the Ship start to break up as it tumbles across the ground. The canopy shatters and dirt floods the cockpit. I throw my arms up hoping to shield my face. The Ship rolls a few more times and then stops, everything becomes still and quiet. I blink my eyes and cough out a mouthful of dirt. As the dust settles, I can tell that I am still strapped to my seat in the cockpit. The canopy is completely gone and all of the instruments are dead.  
  
"You're still alive?" Gray asks with genuine surprise.  
  
I look over to see that the mobile's shoulder strap has become hooked on the throttles. Apparently, that is what kept it from being thrown from the cockpit.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you," I tell him as I undo the straps and climb out of the chair. I quickly untangle the strap and throw it over my shoulder. I then head to the rear of the ruined Ship.  
  
"What are you doing?" Gray asks  
  
"If they're going to slag me, I want to make sure they get you as well. You know all about the mission and I do not want you giving it away. Basically, I'm taking you with me," I tell him as I fish the last case of Stingers out of the cargo area.  
  
As I drag the case out, a laser shot slices through the midsection of the Ship. Overhead, I hear the roar of the SwiftKiller fly by. Seconds later, another beam slices into the cockpit cutting the chair in half and melting the control console where the mobile had been resting.  
  
"Now, aren't you glad I brought you with me?" I ask Agent Gray.  
  
There is no need to lower the ramp because it was torn off in the crash. I stagger out of the wreckage dragging the Stingers behind me. Several more laser shots hit the Ship as the SwiftKillers continue making their attacks. I clear the wreck and stop to open up the case. I fish out the first Stinger extending the sight. I then place it on my shoulder and start looking for a target. Above me, I can see the five SwiftKillers circling in formation, one at a time they break off and do a strafing run on the Ship. As the next one breaks off, I target it and squeeze the trigger. The Stinger races to the target and hits it dead on. The SwiftKiller explodes in a ball of flame and falls to earth as burning debris. I am about to grab another Stinger when I see that all of the SwiftKillers are now diving towards me. I know there is no way I'm going to get them all. As they come closer, I wait for the first beams to hit me and turn me into ash. I see a trail of smoke arch across the sky then intercept one of the diving SwiftKillers. It explodes and suddenly several more smoke trails appear, which I now know are missiles, arch their way in. The SwiftKillers break off their attack, and start making evasive maneuvers. Two more SwiftKillers explode and fall out of the sky. Suddenly, four Shrikes roar overhead and chase after the lone SwiftKiller.  
  
Later, Maximus lands his Shrike next to the smoking ruins of my ship. He walks down the ramp with the biggest grin on his face.  
  
"I guess this makes us even."  
  
"I thought you guys were waiting for me at the Prague access point to do the ambush."  
  
"We were. But you had just come into our sensor range when we saw you get shot down. We couldn't just leave you out here, so we came to the rescue."  
  
"I almost wish you hadn't," Agent Gray pipes in.  
  
Maximus looks down at the image of the Agent on the mobile's screen, "What the hell is that?"  
  
"Nothing, I will fill you in on it later. Right now, I think it would be a good idea to get out of here before more HK's show up," I tell Maximus.  
  
Maximus helps me gather a few things from what is left of my ship and load it onto his. As we lift off, I look back at the smoking hulk that had been my home for almost four years.  
  
"Damn, I'm going to miss her."  
  
  
  
To be continued…


	6. The Scout Part 6

The Scout Part 6  
  
By Michel Ward aka Wolfbert  
  
After we left the smoking ruins of my ship behind, we made our way to the England depot through the tunnel system and then hugging the terrain till we arrived at the location of the salvage haulers. The crews had just finished placing the immense scatter-back cammo nets over the last one when the four Shrikes landed. After quickly covering the Shrikes a field medic gave me the once over. Other than some bumps and bruises, I came out of it remarkably intact even if I did not feel like it.  
  
As I left the medic behind, I made my way over to the access doors for the supply depot. Maximus came running up to greet me.  
  
"So are you going to live?" he asks jokingly.  
  
"According to the medic I will," I reply "but there's not a part of me that doesn't hurt right now."  
  
"Well you will be happy to know that the mechanics have the elevator working so we will not have to repel down. Curtis wanted me to come and get you so that you could show them around the depot."  
  
Maximus and I entered the access doors and met Curtis and his team of fifteen techs at the elevator. Curtis is the man in charge of the salvage operation, although he is in his late twenties he is a mechanical wiz and is able to squeeze every last inch of space out of the salvage badges.  
  
"Shadow, the plan went off without a hitch. It was smooth sailing all the way here. Sorry to hear that you lost your ship though." he tells me.  
  
"Yeah, well thanks to the big lug here I'm still alive." I say as I give Maximus a bat on the back.  
  
The elevator arrives and we all pile in. When we arrive at the bottom I shine my flashlight over to the breaker panel and throw the switches. As the lights come up you can hear their collective gasps. At first they just stand there stunned by the shear volume of weapons and supplies. After the shock wears of Curtis starts instructing his techs to their duties. There is a lot of equipment that will need to be inspected and catalogued. I lead Curtis to the back of the depot to the trailers and open the doors. You could hear the thud as their jaws hit the floor. Curtis immediately has five of his techs check out the suits.  
  
"I want that battle armor checked top to bottom, these trailers will be the first to load. If we have to bug out of here in a hurry I don't want to leave these behind," he tells his men.  
  
As Curtis continues his inspection he starts to jot down everything on a notepad until someone discovered a datapad with a complete inventory on it. While he oversaw his people and began to take inventory of all the items, we crack open a case of MRE's and help ourselves. After about an hour, Curtis comes over to where we are sitting.  
  
"I've been going over the inventory that I have here", he tells us holding up the datapad "and we seem to be missing a few things. You don't know where they might be, do you Shadow?"  
  
"No, I have no idea," I tell him nervously.  
  
"I guess it must have been a clerical error," he tells me with a knowing smile.  
  
The plan is that we wait a week for things to calm down topside before we start to move the contents of the depot to the salvage barges. Curtis feels that he can get everything into the barges if he can load up the Shrikes with some of the smaller stuff. Curtis drafts the shrike pilots, the salvage barge crew and me to haul the stuff to the surface and then load it on the barges.  
  
On one of our rare breaks, Maximus and I head back to his ship for some sleep. I stretch out on some anti-aircraft missile crates.  
  
"I don't think that I have ever been this sore or tired in my life," I tell him.  
  
Maximus looks over at my mobile that is sitting on a fold down table "So when are you going to tell me about this?"  
  
I drag myself back up and sit in the seat across from him and pull the mobile over to us and turn it on.  
  
"Maximus meet Agent Gray," I say as the Agents face comes up in the display.  
  
Maximus stares at the image of the Agent, "I had heard rumors that some fool had kidnapped an Agent from the Matrix but I thought it was one of those Matrix hackers. So does it do anything?"  
  
"What would you have me do, jump through hoops?" Gray replies.  
  
"Apart from the attitude and the sarcastic whit, he is a heck of a chess player," I tell Maximus.  
  
For the next hour I fill Maximus in on how I got the Agent and some of the advancements I have made while interacting with it. Maximus even plays a game of chess with the Agent and loses the match, much to the Agents amusement.  
  
After five long days the salvage barges are finally loaded and the shrike pilots have to crawl over crates to get to their cockpits. On the trip home we only ran into two Squid patrols which the shrikes made short work of. All the ships arrive at Zion and it looks like everyone in the city has turned out in celebration. The docks are brimming with cheering people and the security teams have to struggle to keep everyone back as the ships land. McAdams is there to meet Maximus and I, as we walk down the ramp.  
  
"I'm glad to see that my faith in you was not misplaced," she says.  
  
"If it hadn't been for the Shrikes then I would have been dead meat," I reply.  
  
"I'm sorry to learn about the loss of your ship, I know how much you cared for her. We should be able to get you another one when we scrounge the parts."  
  
As the hangar and salvage crews unload the barges the crowd moves the celebration into the town. Maximus and I find our way to The Core were we meet up with Maniac who has a table for us along with our first round of drinks.  
  
"So how was Alaska?" I ask him as I take a sip.  
  
"To say that it was fucking cold would be an understatement. I heard that you lost your ship, if you want we could trade off missions till you get a new one, when ever that might be."  
  
"Thanks, but you shouldn't have to suffer being grounded here. Besides, McAdams promised to make it a priority to get me a new ship."  
  
The celebration goes on well into the day cycle at Zion, as we part ways I try to find my way to my new and hopefully very temporary home. I wind my way through the maze that makes up one of the personnel barracks at Zion looking for my room, which is made more difficult due to my inebriation. I finally find the door and try the key card to open the door. After trying five times to use the key card and not getting the door open, I begin contemplating the use of my pistol in shooting the lock off when I hear a woman's voice behind me.  
  
"You need some help?"  
  
I must really be drunk, I never heard her approach. From her almond shaped eyes I can tell she is of Asian descent, her long black hair is pulled into a single ponytail that falls down her back, her dark eyes feel like they are piercing right through me.  
  
"I said do you need some help?" She asked again.  
  
It is then that I realize that I am standing there slacked jawed and staring. I snap myself out of it and stammer a reply.  
  
"Yeah I'm new here and I can't seem to get this card to work" I try not to slur my words.  
  
"Let me see." she says holding out her hand for the card, which I give to her. She walks over to the door and slides the card into the slot and a green light comes on. She pushes open the door and reaches inside to turn on a light.  
  
"You must have had the card upside down. Don't feel so bad it's a common mistake with new people. So you were just released from the Matrix?"  
  
"For almost five years now, I'm a Scout and I got my ship shot out from under me so now I am stuck here."  
  
"Oh I'm sorry," she says "it's just that you said that you were new here and I saw the IO port on your neck and I just assumed you had just been released."  
  
I realize that my reply had been a bit harsh, "I'm sorry it has been a very long day and I'm really tired. My name is Darien."  
  
"Hi, I'm Crystal. I'm your neighbor across the hall. If you need anything just let me know."  
  
I thank her and stumble into my new home. The place has a main room and a small kitchenette, off of the main room is a small bedroom and bathroom. The furniture is sparse and purely functional. Piled in one corner of the main room are my personal effects that I had salvaged from the remains of my ship. I fish out the mobile and turn it on.  
  
"Well what do you think?" I ask the Agent as I pan the mobile around the room.  
  
"It would appear to be adequate living space, also it has more room than the living quarters on your ship," Agent Gray replies.  
  
"Spoken like a true program," I say as I place the mobile on a table and take a seat. "It looks like we will have a lot more time to spend together maybe I should upload some more game programs into you."  
  
"Isn't there some of your own kind that you can spend your time with or do you get some sort of perverse pleasure making me suffer through your company?"  
  
I'm somewhat taken back by what Agent Gray says. I have spent most of my time out of the Matrix on my own. Sure, I have friends but I only see them for short periods of time. Right now most of them are out of Zion and wandering the wastelands and I would be too if I had a ship.  
  
I get up and head off to bed, "Do me a favor and wake me at nine o'clock."  
  
"I was not designed to be an alarm clock," the Agent protests as I hit the bed and fall asleep almost immediately.  
  
Loud knocking on the door awakens me. I force myself up and look at my watch, which reads ten twenty-two. As I make my way to the door, I look over to the mobile.  
  
"Thanks, I knew I could depend on you." I tell the Agent as I toss my shirt on top of the mobile to hide it.  
  
I open that door and am shocked to see Professor Kaiser.  
  
"Professor, what are you doing here?" I ask.  
  
"I heard that you were back in Zion," the professor replies. "Well, by now everyone has heard that you are back in town. That was quite a feat you and the others pulled off."  
  
"All I did was play fox and let the AI's chase me. If it wasn't for Maximus and the others I would have been toast."  
  
I notice that the professor is somewhat antsy and then it hits me that I have left him standing in the hall the entire time.  
  
"I'm sorry professor I've forgotten my manners, please come in. I'm still use to having a place that people can just walk up the boarding ramp," I tell him.  
  
"Thank you. I'm sorry to hear that you lost your ship. If I can be any help please let me know."  
  
"Thanks professor but McAdams has promised to get me back into a ship as soon as one becomes available. So what brings you here?"  
  
The professor smiles and pulls a mobile out of his satchel.  
  
"I though you would like to see how the Fido program that you gave me has come along."  
  
The professor activates the mobile and slides it over to me. I begin to examine the code and let out a low whistle. The program has increased in size by a factor of four.  
  
"Holly shit professor what did you do to my program?" I ask in awe. "You gave it a physical form. It was never supposed to be a physical part of the Matrix; it was just supposed to stay in the phantom realm."  
  
"Well you see, we had a situation on the Hermes and I had to make some modifications to the original program, with the help of someone else." The professor tells me with a hint of pride in his voice.  
  
"I can see that. It has weapon skills. It can drive a car, motorcycle and a truck. It even knows hand-to-hand combat. Okay out with it professor, what did you do with my program?"  
  
"I wish I could tell you but the whole mission has been labeled classified until further notice. I was able to save a copy of the Fido program before they confiscated the original. I thought that you would want to see how far your program has come along," the professor tells me as he removes the data disk from his mobile and hands it to me.  
  
I think for a second and then reach for the mobile under my shirt. "While we are at it, I guess I should show you this," I tell the professor and slide my mobile over to him.  
  
The professor looks down at the image of the agent on the screen "You didn't delete it after all!" the professor exclaims excitedly.  
  
"He's quick," the Agent says "With guys like him working on your side, humanity is saved."  
  
"You will have to forgive the Agent's wit professor. I thought you might want to see him up close."  
  
"Yes, yes indeed I would," the professor seems to think over something for a second "would you bring it by my lab tomorrow morning?"  
  
"You're not going to do anything to harm the Agent are you professor?" I ask.  
  
"Heavens no, I promise not to harm one bit on his head," the professor assures me.  
  
"Alright, then I will see you tomorrow then."  
  
"Excellent, My lab is on level 4 section 12 in room 133. I'll look forward to seeing you then."  
  
After the professor leaves, I decide to get cleaned up and put away some of personal effects that I have piled in one corner.  
  
"You seemed to be genuinely concerned that the professor would do me harm," the Agent said.  
  
"I gave you my word that if you cooperated and opened yourself to new ideas that I would not let anything happen to you," I replied.  
  
The Agent seems to think it over for a little bit but says nothing.  
  
"The correct thing to do is say, "Thanks."  
  
The Agent just stares at me blankly. Frustrated, I throw up my hands and go back to putting my stuff away.  
  
The next morning I am wandering the halls of level 4 looking for the professor's lab but I am hopelessly lost.  
  
"Why don't you just ask someone for directions?" the Agent asks. I have the mobile active but I have tuned off the screen. The Agent can still see and hear what is going on but no one can see him.  
  
"Shut up, I'll find the place," I tell him. I stop at a staircase and look over the map I have scrawled out before I left my apartment.  
  
"Fancy meeting you here," a familiar voice calls from behind me.  
  
I turn to see Crystal coming down the stairs "Crystal, what are you doing hear?" I ask.  
  
"I'm on my way to the hydroponics bay where I work. You seem lost."  
  
I am, kind of silly a scout getting lost but all the halls seem the same to me."  
  
"Where is it that you are trying to go?" she asks.  
  
I show her the map that I made and tell her the section and room number.  
  
"So you are heading to R&D, I'll show you the way," she says, and leads me to the room with the ease of someone who has spent all of their life in Zion.  
  
I thank her for her help and I am about to enter the room when I turn back to her.  
  
"Are you doing anything tonight?" I ask.  
  
She smiles "No, I'm off work at 18:00."  
  
"How would you like to go with me to Benny's for dinner?"  
  
"That sounds great. I'll see you at my place at 18:30?"  
  
"I'll be there," I tell her and then enter the lab.  
  
The professor's lab is an example of controlled chaos. Electronics and papers are piled on every surface in the room. Notes and equations are scrawled on the boards along the walls, but it appears that the professor knows precisely where everything is considering the ease with which he finds things.  
  
The professor takes me over to a corner of his lab that has several interface chairs and a computer core. He takes the mobile from me and uploads the Agent program into the core.  
  
"Don't worry. I have disconnected the core from all outside connections. It is completely isolated," he assures me. "What I really want you to see is this," the professor turns one of the interface chairs around and points to a box slightly larger than a mobile.  
  
"What is it?" I ask.  
  
"I call it an empathy module. About ten years back we were trying to come up with different ways to destroy the Matrix. I was working on a way to transfer emotions to the AI's," the professor explains.  
  
"You're kidding, right?"  
  
"No, it is quite easy in fact. Just as the Matrix focuses in on the parts of the brain that control your senses, the empathy module focuses in on the part of the brain that produces emotions. The plan was to hook this into one of the pods in the power plant and then the AI's would then share the emotions of that person. Imagine what it would be like if they had to suddenly deal with things like sorrow and fear. How would they react to things like joy and love?"  
  
"And when they feel hatred and anger they would probably kill everyone in the Matrix and then launch an all out assault on Zion out of blind fury," I tell the professor.  
  
"Yes that was one outcome that was proposed. The project was shelved and I had almost forgotten about it but I began thinking, what if you exposed the Agent program to it. Not at full power but bring it to him slowly. Let it learn our emotions and come to deal with them. How would emotions affect it? Maybe we could learn to filter the emotions such as compassion and kindness so that those are the things that the AI's learn. Maybe then the empathy module could be used."  
  
"How can you be certain the AI's don't already have something resembling emotions already?" I ask.  
  
"From what little we know of them they have a very rudimentary form of emotions but nothing on the level that humans have."  
  
"It sounds like and interesting idea but how are you going to make it work?" I ask.  
  
The professor swings the chair back around. "I have already uploaded the Agent into the core. I want you to go in and interact with it. While you do that I will monitor your progress and make adjustments to the module."  
  
I look at the chair and take a step back. "Sorry professor but I swore I would never sit in one of those things."  
  
"It's perfectly safe. I have set it up so that the Agent can not lay a hand on you," The professor assures me.  
  
It's not that professor, it's just that." I pause for a second.  
  
"I think that I understand Darien, and I would not ask this of you but I feel that you have some sort of connection with the Agent, It might even trust you in some way."  
  
I think on it for a second and then let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, let's do this before I change my mind."  
  
I sit in the chair and close my eyes as the professor slides the I/O connector into the data port in the back of my neck.  
  
"Here you go," the professor says as I feel the sudden wash of vertigo and then find myself in a featureless room with Agent Gray.  
  
Before I can say or do anything the Agent crosses the distance between the two of us and has thrown a punch aimed directly at my head in the time it takes to blink an eye. His fist stops about an inch from my face, his arm shakes and the effort he is exerting is visible on his face. After a few seconds he lets his arm drop to his side.  
  
"I had to try you realize," The Agent says.  
  
"I would have been shocked if you hadn't," I reply.  
  
"I'm going to turn on the module," the professors voice echoes out of the air.  
  
Suddenly the Agent screams and falls to his knees.  
  
"Turn it down professor it's too much," I shout.  
  
"I'm adjusting it now."  
  
The pain seems to leave the Agent but the look on his face is sheer panic.  
  
"What are you doing to me?" the Agent shouts.  
  
"We are giving you a little taste of what it feels like to be human and what it feels like to have human emotions."  
  
The Agent seems to compose himself more and I step back as he gets to his gets to his feet. I pick up his glasses which had fallen off and hand them back to him, but he does not put them on. He begins to pace back and forth as his eyes dart from one spot to the next.  
  
"What do you feel?" I ask.  
  
The Agent seems to think about it for a bit. "I have this tightness in my chest," the Agent says as he places his hand on his chest he suddenly stops. "I have a heartbeat, and it's racing. I do not like being here." The Agent looks over at me. "No, it's not me it's you who does not like it here. Your mind is inside a machine while your body lies outside. All it would take is for some one to pull the I/O jack out of your head and you would be dead."  
  
"I think that's enough for now," the professors voice echoes and the Agents face regains his typical composure and he puts his sunglasses back on.  
  
I feel myself suddenly pulled back and open my eyes as I get out of the chair.  
  
"I think that I have enough data to work with," the professor tells me. He hands my mobile back. "Here is your Agent no worse for wear I assure you."  
  
"What now?" I ask.  
  
"I want to review the data I have and then I want to test a few things out. I will let you know what I find."  
  
I thank the professor and head back to my apartment. When I get back I turn on the mobile and check on the Agent.  
  
"How are you doing?" I ask.  
  
"I am functioning normally. What did you hope to achieve by that?" the Agent asks.  
  
"Maybe if you experience emotions then you can understand us better."  
  
The Agent seems to hesitate for a minute, "It is rumored that some of the original Agents were given emotions. It made them.unstable," the Agent tells me.  
  
"We plan to introduce it to you very slowly. We will keep an eye on you," I assure the Agent.  
  
I grab a handful of salt and pepper packs and a bottle of Tabasco. "Come on, we have to do a little shopping."  
  
I head off the market place. The market is a large open area where the people of Zion come together to barter and trade for things. Some people work with clothing, metalworking, electronics, some even sell vegetables. Some people save the seeds from the food they are allotted from the hydroponics bays and grow them in their own little gardens that they have set up in their apartments. The noise of all the people is almost deafening. People are hocking their wares, others are haggling over the prices. To one side a story teller is reciting a book to a crowd of people; further back a play is going on in a small theater a sign reads "Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew." I find a stand selling vegetables and look over the items. I select a handful of green beans, carrots, peas, five tomatoes and a couple of potatoes.  
  
"That's quite a bit you have there, what are you going to pay for it with?" the old man that runs the stand asks.  
  
I fish out half the salt and pepper packs from my pack and hand them over to him. The man looks at them, tears one open and inserts his pinky into the pack and then into his mouth. His eyebrows shoot up as he sucks on his finger.  
  
"Excellent," he exclaims. "If you ever want anything else, please feel free to come back again."  
  
Just before I leave the market, my eye catches someone selling books on old data disc. Thinking that I will be here for several weeks I decide that a something to read would be a good idea. I pick out a selection and hand the woman a couple of packs for them.  
  
I leave the market and head over to Benny's. Benny's is one of the few restaurants in Zion. For the most part it is a bar but there are a couple of tables in the back and they do amazing things with the standard gruel to make it taste like real food. If you bring in your food allotment from hydroponics, they can make a meal that will knock your socks off, all for the cost of 10% of the vegetables you bring in. I talk briefly with the owner and hand her the stuff I have bought at the market along with the rest of the salt and pepper packets and the bottle of Tabasco. The owner is amazed and promises me the best dinner she has ever served. I head back up to my apartment and take the mobile off my shoulder and turn on the screen.  
  
"So what did you think of your little tour?" I ask the Agent.  
  
"You are a chaotic and noisy race," the Agent replies.  
  
"I sense a 'But' in there."  
  
The Agent pauses briefly. "You seem to be a very adaptive people. Even under these conditions you have managed to work out a crude commerce system."  
  
I decide to get ready. I shower, shave and put on my best clothes.  
  
"Well, how do I look?" I ask the Agent.  
  
"Compared to what?" He replies.  
  
I roll my eyes. "Why do I ask?"  
  
I leave my apartment and walk across to Crystal's door. I run my fingers through my hair and check myself out one more time. I raise my hand to knock on the door but I hesitate. I realize then that I'm more then a little bit nervous. It has been awhile since I've been on a date. As a matter of fact, I haven't been on a date since I have been out of the Matrix. I quickly compose myself and knock on the door. When she opens her door, I and taken back by how beautiful she looks. Her hair seems to flow down and across her shoulders except for her bangs, which are pulled back and form a braid down her back. Her clothes are tailored to fit her shapely form and she has even applied a small amount of eye shadow and lipstick. Not that she needed it but that fact that she found some and was using it for this occasion said a lot. I began to feel self-conscious again.  
  
"You look great," she tells me.  
  
"You look fantastic," I reply.  
  
We walk down to Benny's and the owner takes us over to their "private" table. The owner really pulled out all the stops. There is a tablecloth, candles and even an old audio player that was playing soft music out of a pair of worn speakers.  
  
"Wow, I'm impressed," she tells me.  
  
"Well, fame and the job has its perks."  
  
During the evening the owner brings us a great facsimile of wine and some soup to start us off with and then later they bring out an amazing stew. During our dinner we talk about ourselves. She tells me about her family, growing up in Zion, and her work. I tell her how I came to be a scout and what its like to roam the wastelands. She asks me about the rumors that she has heard about my more recent adventures.  
  
"Sounds like you have had some interesting times."  
  
"Sometimes a little too interesting," I tell her.  
  
I look down at my watch and notice that it is one in the morning. I quickly look around and see that Benny's is completely empty. I apologize to our host but she says that apologies are not necessary.  
  
"It's good to see a young couple having fun," she tells us as she walks us out of the restaurant. "Please feel free to come back anytime."  
  
I walk Crystal up to her apartment door and say goodnight. When we arrive there is an awkward second where I'm not so sure what to do. Crystal leans over to me a plants a soft kiss on my lips.  
  
"I had a wonderful time," she smiles at me and then goes into her apartment.  
  
I stand there for a second before I head back into my own place.  
  
"From the look on your face I'm guessing that your date went well?" Gray asks.  
  
"You could say that." I tell the Agent before I head of to sleep.  
Over the next month Crystal and I see a lot more of each other. I even spend time helping her out in the hydroponics bay, much to Mole's amusement, so that I can be with her and to give me something to do so I do not go stir crazy. I routinely visit the professor and we spend time with the agent using the empathy module. Gray seems to be adjusting to exposures of my emotions and I have noticed a slight change in his personality. On one of my visits the professor has something new for me.  
  
"I have made a new empathy module that you can attach to your mobile and this," he holds up what looks to be an I/O probe but smaller and not as long. "This will allow you to jack into the empathy module which is attached to your mobile while you are going about your everyday life. The jack is wireless and has a range of up to 500 meters so you do not even need to be in the same room."  
  
The professor inserts the probe and he makes some final adjustments to the module and then sends me on my way.  
  
"Try interacting with others whenever you have the module on so that he can be exposed to a wide variety of emotions."  
  
Over the next week I spend a great deal of time with the module in. I take in a show at the small theater, read some of the books I have bought, and I celebrate the return of my friends from their missions. I even wear it on several dates, but on tonight's date I decide to leave him at home. We meet Maniac at the Core and after getting the first rounds he then goes and tells her every embarrassing story about me that he can and it goes on for hours.  
  
"So there we were hiding in this closet, in a building that we were exploring with a Squid snooping in the next room and he lets out this god awful loud fart," Maniac tells her.  
  
"I just couldn't hold it any longer. Besides it wouldn't have been so bad if you hadn't started to laugh," I protested.  
  
"My god," Crystal laughs, "what happened next."  
  
"The thing came through the wall and we ran like hell. We split up when we got outside and it started to chase Shadow. I was able to take it down with a pulse grenade," Maniac replies.  
  
The night pretty much went like that. I could tell that Maniac really likes her and that the two of them are going to be good friends. As it gets towards closing time, Maniac tells me that he will be leaving tomorrow afternoon and asks if I can stop by before he leaves. Crystal and I walk back to our apartments. When we get back I give her a long kiss and I'm about to say good night  
  
"You know I have never seen the inside of your apartment," Crystal says to me.  
  
At first it doesn't click then it hits me.  
  
"Um.well..the place is a little messy but if you want to come in," I say as I fumble with the door and then we step inside.  
  
"Not a bad place," she says looking around "It could do with a little personal touch."  
  
"I wasn't expecting to be here for this long," I tell her.  
  
There is a moment of awkward silence and I finally summon up my resolve and move closer to her and I begin to kiss her. It's not like we have never kissed before, but this time I put a little more into it. She returns the intensity of my kiss and then presses herself into me as I take her in my arms. I feel her pushing me backwards towards my bedroom and we walk in while we continue to kiss passionately. I don't even bother with the lights when we get into the room and then I start to unbutton her shirt as she pulls at the fasteners on my pants. In a short time our clothes are off and we are lying together on my bed, as we continue to kiss I run my hand gently down her side.  
  
"If I had a stomach this is where I would become violently sick," Agent Gray's voice sounds through the darkness.  
  
"Who the hell is that?" Crystal jerks up and covers herself as best she can.  
  
I jump off the bed, grab the mobile off of the dresser and make for the bathroom.  
  
"It's nothing really just a project I have been working on, I'll be right back," I tell her and close the bathroom door behind me.  
  
I activate the screen and look at a very upset Agent Gray. "That was the most disturbing thing I have ever witnessed," he says with obvious distaste.  
  
"You mean you have no information on human intercourse?"  
  
"Of course not, why would we?" the Agent replies.  
  
A grin spreads across my face. "Well maybe it's time that you did," I tell him.  
  
The Agent face seems to lose all composure. "You're not thinking of plugging me in while you do..that are you?"  
  
"No, I don't think you could handle that kind of input right now but I do have something else in mind," I tell Gray as I shut off the speaker and the screen just as he was about to protest.  
  
I walk back out of the bathroom and find that Crystal is sitting up in the bed with the covers over her. I place the mobile back on the dresser and quickly make sure that it is pointing at the bed. The camera unit had light amplifying abilities so the dim lighting in the room will not be a problem and it's not like Agent Gray can close his eyes or turn his back to us.  
  
"You care to explain yourself to me?" she asks.  
  
"It's nothing really, just something that I am working on with Professor Kaiser. It's harmless really."  
  
She eyes me suspiciously "Okay, if you say so but if I find out one of your friends are looking in I'm going to make you pay," she warns.  
  
I walk over to the bed and yank back the covers and lay down next to her, "I wouldn't dream of it. Now where were we?" I say taking her in my arms.  
  
"I think we were somewhere around here," she says taking my hand and guiding it down her body.  
The next morning I awaken to find Crystal half dressed running around my room frantically searching.  
  
"Good morning, looking for something?" I ask.  
  
"Yes, my underwear I can't seem to find it," she replies.  
  
"If you ask me I like you better without them."  
  
She stops, puts her hands on her hips and gives me a sly smile, which to me makes for a great image.  
  
"I bet you do but I can't go to work without them."  
  
"Then don't go to work. Stay here with me."  
  
"It sounds like a good idea but Mole is expecting me," she tells me and resumes her searching.  
  
"Aha," she says as she reaches under the bed and holds up her underwear in triumph.  
  
"Damn," I say with mock disappointment as she finishes dressing.  
  
"Don't worry we can pick up where we left off tonight," she tells me as she gives me a long kiss and leaves.  
  
After a little bit I get up and walk over to the dresser and turn the screen and the speaker back on. Agent Gray looks even more upset than last night.  
  
"If you have an ounce of the humanity you keep telling me about you will delete last night's events from my memory," he tells me.  
  
"Come on, it wasn't that bad," I reply.  
  
"You actually enjoyed that? It was so.so.messy," Gray says with disgust.  
  
I smile and think back on what happened last night. "Yes it was."  
  
"And is it always like that?" the Agent asks.  
  
"Well it varies in method and different people like different things but in general yes."  
  
Gray seems to ponder this for a moment. "There's more to being human then I was first lead to believe. Promise me that you will never subject me to that again."  
  
"Alright then, no more peep shows for you," I tell the Agent.  
"Four Months. I've been here four months now!" I exclaim.  
  
My friends sitting at the table look at me sympathetically and wait for me to deal the cards.  
  
"I mean, I knew that I wasn't going to get a new ship right away but I didn't think it was going to take them this long," I tell them as I start dealing the cards.  
  
"I told you that I was willing to trade off missions and let you use my ship," Maniac tells me as he checks out his cards.  
  
"If I had known I was going to be stuck here this long then I might have taken you up on that offer."  
  
"I'll take three," Maximus tells me as he tosses me his discard. "You just have to be a little more patient. What did McAdams say?"  
  
"That's part of the problem, she won't see me and I can't get past that watchdog that is her receptionist," I tell him as I give him his cards.  
  
"I'll take two. How about seeing if there are any spare ships on your own?" Degausser asks.  
  
"I tried to but Wing Nut is hiding from me as well. If I didn't know better I would swear the two of them are up to something or they are stalling so they do not have to give me some bad news."  
  
"I'll stay with what I have," DreamWeaver tells me. "If you want we could ask around and see what we can find out."  
  
"Please do, I'm dying to find out anything." I turn to our fifth player. "How many do you want?"  
  
"I'll take one. You can toss the third one," Gray tells me.  
  
I remove the third card from the stand that is in front of the mobile and replace it with one from the deck. Over the past couple of months I have been introducing the Agent to my friends, DreamWeaver was the last to meet him and that was only yesterday.  
  
"You know that is really starting to freak me out," DreamWeaver says pointing to the Agent.  
  
"Oh come on, he's harmless. Besides you're just mad because he has most of your chips," Maniac says which brings out a laugh from all at the table.  
  
"Okay, I bet ten," I say tossing out my chip.  
  
"I'm in for ten," Maniac antes up.  
  
"See your ten and raise you ten more," Maximus says.  
  
"I'm in," replies Degausser  
  
"Me too," DreamWeaver says tossing in her chips.  
  
"I'll see your twenty and raise you ten more," the Agent says as I toss in his chips.  
  
I look at the Agent. "I fold."  
  
"Same here," Maniac replies  
  
"I'll see your thirty and raise you ten more. I call," Maximus says.  
  
"I'm out," says Degausser.  
  
"Same here," DreamWeaver replies.  
  
"I'll match your forty. What do you have?" the Agent asks.  
  
Maximus lays his cards down, "Two pairs, queens and tens."  
  
"I have a straight," the Agent replies with a smile.  
  
"Shit," Maximus swears. "How did you guys know?" he asks the others at the table.  
  
"He has a tell," Degausser offers.  
  
"A what?" the Agent asks.  
  
"A tell," I say to the Agent. "Every time you get a good hand you adjust your glasses and every time you bluff you adjust your earpiece."  
  
"No I don't," the Agent protests.  
  
"Yes you do," the Scouts all echo in unison.  
  
"You forget we are Scouts, we are trained observers," DreamWeaver informs him.  
  
I hand the deck over to Maximus and he begins to shuffle the cards.  
  
"What I want to know is why the AI's even bother with creating the Matrix. Why go to all that effort and use all those resources to make and maintain a virtual world. Why not leave everyone a mindless zombie, I would think it would cause them a lot less grief," his question is directed at Agent Gray.  
  
The Agent seems to pause for a moment and then replies, "It was found that if the human brain is not active then their life cycle is greatly shortened. Also they produce very little nerokinetic energy."  
  
"So they double the output of the birthing field and add a few more levels to the power plants. Is there any other reason for the Matrix?  
  
"There is none that I am aware of," the Agent replies.  
  
I catch the subtle movement of his right shoulder before he catches himself; he stops before he raises his arm. I quickly look at the others to see if anyone else caught it but they are all busy with their cards. I decide not to call attention to it right now and continue with our game.  
The next morning I'm awakened to someone knocking on my door. I reach over to Crystal but she is not there. I quickly look around but she is not in the apartment, she must have left for work early. The knocking at the door continues so I put on a pair of pants and answer it. Outside my door I find a nervous corporal.  
  
"Sorry to wake you sir but I have been instructed to escort you to a briefing."  
  
"Really, who is going to give me the briefing?" I ask.  
  
"I don't know sir."  
  
"Well where is the briefing going to be?"  
  
"I can't say sir."  
  
"Okay, give me a minute to get dressed."  
  
After I throw on some clothes I follow the corporal. Our route eventually leads us to the farthest corner hangar bay. When we arrive McAdams is there to great me.  
  
"I hear that you have wanted to see me."  
  
"It's been four months now, I was hoping to have a ship a lot sooner then this," I tell her.  
  
"Maybe this will make it up to you," she turns to the far wall. "Let him see it," she yells.  
  
The wall is in fact a large tarp that falls to the floor, behind it stands WingNut and the slickest thing I have ever seen. It's a ship, slightly larger then a Shrike. It's wings are swept forward and its twin tail is swept back. The skin is matte black in color and seamless; it seems to draw in the light. Even sitting in the hangar it looks like it is going mach 1.  
  
"Wow, that is some machine," I hear Maniacs voice from behind.  
  
I turn around and find my friends all standing there along with Crystal, Professor Kaiser and Mole.  
  
"You knew about this?" I ask them.  
  
"Of course we knew, why else would we all be in Zion at the same time. McAdams told us that it would be ready today so we thought that we should be here for the big unveiling," DreamWeaver replies.  
  
"And you were letting me sweat the whole time?"  
  
"What are friends for? Besides it was a lot more fun this way," Maniac tells me.  
  
WingNut comes forward and takes me on a tour of the ship.  
  
"She has a bigger power plant and more efficient grav-coils, she can even outrun a SwiftKiller. Her hull is a radar absorbent ceramic composite and will also resist heating from air friction. You could almost fly right next to one and they wouldn't see you. You will not even need a scatterback cammo net anymore, you can leave it in the open as long as you don't register on their visual recognition," he then leads me under the ship. "It was originally going to be a new Shrike design so it has two missile bays. There are three air to air AMRAM missiles and one air to ground Maverick missile on an extendable rotary drum in each bay. It also has a heavy laser in each wing."  
  
WingNut leads me to the back of the ship and up the boarding ramp and the others follow. The layout inside is the same but a little larger then my old Skiff. In the rear is the cargo area, going forward is the fresher unit, eating station, sleeping birth and a work station. Then WingNut takes me to the cockpit.  
  
"There's no canopy, how am I supposed to see out?" I ask.  
  
WingNut smiles, "This I am really proud of. I took the sensor system and command display out of one of the Chieftain tanks that we brought back and incorporated into this ship."  
  
WingNut taps a few buttons on the control panel and it's like the cockpit walls suddenly melt away. A 360(view of the hangar outside comes into view. As one of the MK3 hacker rigs pass by the bay it is immediately highlighted and tactical information is displayed next to it.  
  
"I'm impressed," I tell him.  
  
"I thought you would be," WingNut replies.  
  
We all file out of the ship and gather at the front.  
  
"So is it worth the wait?" McAdams asks me.  
  
"And how, I'm speechless," I tell her.  
  
"If I could have your attention please," Mole addresses the crowd. "It is customary to christen a new ship so I brought on of the Cores finest," he tells us as he holds out a bottle and looks at the label.  
  
"A fine vintage, brewed last week," he says with a smile, "but instead of wasting this breaking it against the hull of this fine ship I say we drink a toast."  
  
On cue, the corporal brings out a tray of glasses and Mole fills each one, he then makes sure everyone has a glass and then raises his.  
  
"To the new Shadow, long may she fly," the others echo the toast and down their drinks. Wing Nut begins to tell every one of the ships abilities and what he had to go through to get the parts to build it.  
  
"So how long have you know about this?" I ask Crystal.  
  
"Almost a month now but this is the first time I've seen it. When McAdams heard that you and I were dating she called me in and asked me how you were doing. Later on she told me that your ship was almost done and if you were going to be able to hold out a little longer or if you were going stir crazy enough to hijack a ship. I told her that you seem to be adjusting well and you had plenty to keep you busy here," she tells me with a grin.  
  
"You know, when everyone else is gone we could christen the ship in our own special way," I whisper to her.  
  
She giggles a little "Oh I bet you would like that. We'll see."  
  
As the gathering winds down, McAdams hands me a datadisc. "This is your next mission. Leave when you are ready."  
  
Mole tells Crystal that she should take the next several days off and we decide to spend them together. She helps me move my personal effects onboard and stow the items. We take in a show and even eat out one more time before I go. On the day that I leave, Crystal walks me to the ship. I am carrying my pack and the mobile and show the ship to the Agent.  
  
"What do you think?" I ask the Agent.  
  
"It looks fast," he replies. "Why didn't they give you this on your last mission? It could have saved you from almost becoming a smudge on the ground."  
  
"It wasn't built then," I tell him.  
  
We enter the ship and I stow my pack and toss the mobile on the bed.  
  
"I want you to come back to me in one piece," Crystal tells me and then gives me a long and deep kiss.  
  
She turns and looks over at the image of Agent Gray on the mobile. "Make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid."  
  
"Too late, he should have stayed in bed," the Agent replies.  
  
I walk with Crystal to the edge of the ramp and give her one final kiss and then she walks off. She turns back to me as I start to raise the ramp.  
  
"I love you," she tells me.  
  
"I love you too." I reply as the ramp closes.  
  
"Must you slobber over each other like that?" Gray asks as I walk over to him.  
  
"If you think that's bad then you should have seen what we did on that bed," I tell him  
  
"You humans are so disgusting. Do your hormones always rule you? What did you do before you met her; on second thought don't tell me, I do not want to know."  
  
I pick up the mobile and take it with me to the cockpit. I strap myself in and bring the power plant on line. I run a quick systems check and then activate the outside view. I bring the grav-coils online and raise the ship off the ground. There isn't even a slight vibration from the grav-coils the ship is as smooth as glass. I see Crystal standing off to the side and at first I am about to wave to her but then realize that she can't see me. I get departure clearance from flight control and then move out past the access doors.  
  
"Very nice ship," One of the armored guards says to me.  
  
As I look in the rear view monitor and see the doors close behind me I realize for the first time I am sorry to be leaving Zion.  
The datadisc tells me that my mission is to follow up on the San Diego lead that I uncovered in Washington DC. At one point in my travel I decide to see how the new ship handles at faster speeds. I enter a stretch of tunnel that is a straight shot from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and bring the speed up to mach 3. The ship screams down the tunnel as the shock wave that I leave behind me blasts dirt and debris off the tunnel walls. Inside the ship I can't even feel the slightest vibration and the controls respond smoothly to my slightest touch.  
  
"WingNut you really outdid yourself,"  
  
My sensors alert me that two Squids have dropped into the tunnel from a side access shaft up ahead. It doesn't look like they see me bearing down on them and I do a quick snap roll that allows me to pass between them. The shock wave slams the two sentinels against the tunnel wall and then sends them tumbling along the ground like balls of trash.  
  
"It almost takes the fun out of it," I mumble to myself.  
  
After that I decide to slow it down and go topside. With the two Squids destroyed the AI's will no doubt put extra patrols in the tunnels. The next day I arrive in the city of San Diego. I was told that this city was a popular tourist town in its day. A lot of people would come here and lay out on the beaches. Now the city is in ruin. The Navy base on Coronado looks like it was hit by a low level nuke, whether it was us or the AI's I couldn't tell. The bridge that spanned the Coronado Bay is gone and only the base of the supports remains. I turn north and follow up the coast and slightly inland until I arrive at what is left of the University of California, San Diego and the Super Computer lab. The building is in shambles and I land across from it. I suit up in my Chameleon Cammo Suit and then check my gear. This time I decide to leave the Mobile behind and leave the Agent in the cockpit.  
  
"No offense, but I want to make sure that the area is clear before I bring you along."  
  
I lower the ramp and make my way across the open ground and into the building. I start to check out the different labs and eventually find the AI development lab. The place is just what I expect it to be, totally gutted. I collect some of the data discs that I find lying around and decide to explore the lower levels. I make my way down to the basement of the building and it is here that I find someone's skeletal remains next to the main breaker panel for the building. It's not the first remains I have come across. I find a lot of them in places where they are protected from the elements. The remains are clutching a pair of large cutters and the other end is on the main power line that comes into the building. I find a plastic ID badge clipped to the remnants of his shirt and read the name Fred Mustacchia off of it. I look at the faded picture on the ID badge, an average looking guy with dark shaggy shoulder length hair and a goatee, a typical looking computer geek. I find that the back of his skull has been caved in; something heavy hit him in the head and more than likely killed him. I check out the breaker panel and see that all the circuits have fused in the on position. Fred must have come down here to turn the power off and found the breakers were stuck. He then tried to cut the main power line and someone or something killed him. Seeing that there is nothing more to find here I start to head back up the stairs and stop when I suddenly notice a fresh foot print in the dust. I place my foot next to it and see that it is only about three quarters the size of mine. Someone else was out here?  
  
I make my way back to the main lobby when I hear the first sounds of gunfire. I activate the heat sink in the suit to dampen my IR signature and make my way out of the building with my M79 ready to go. I hear more gunfire come from a building across an open field. I start to run towards the building when I see a woman running out and firing a gun at a Squid that is close behind her. The Squid lashes out with one of its arms and strikes the woman and sends her flying. I crouch down and sight in one of the Squids "eyes" and squeeze off a burst. The lens shatters and it turns its attention to me. It extends several of its sensor arms as it tries to get a fix on me and then it charges across the open ground. I realize that it must be locked onto the heat from my weapons barrel. I reach for a pulse grenade on my belt when I hear the engine on my ship come to life and the whine of capacitors charging. The Squid stops cold and turns to my ship extending its sensor arms again; a blue-green beam fires from my ship and lances through the Squid. It thrashes on the ground and finally stops. I glance at my ship and see that the ramp is still up so that means nobody else should be aboard it. I get up and run over to the woman who is lying on the ground. As I approach, I notice a small ship parked next to one of the buildings, it is of a design that I have never seen before. I throw open my visor as I kneel down next to her and I see that she has an I/O port in the back of her neck. I roll her over and find that she is still conscious but she is hurt very badly. She is not one of the Scouts or Shrike pilots from Zion. On her uniform is a signet patch that I have not seen before.  
  
"Who are you, where did you come from?" I ask.  
  
She tries to talk but all she can do is cough up blood. She reaches down to a small device on her belt and flips its cover open and presses a button under it. The small ship explodes in a fiery ball. I look back down at her and see that she is dead. I stand up and I can now hear the sound of more Squids coming.  
  
To be continued.... 


	7. The Scout Part 7

With the woman dead, her ship in flames, and Squids closing in, I only have one option. I need to get the hell out of here and fast. I tear the signet patch off of the dead woman's uniform and run for the Skiff. As I run under the ship, I hit the ramp release button on the rear landing gear as I run up the ramp before it touches the ground. I toss the M79 and my helmet on the bunk as I run for the cockpit. When I enter the cockpit, the words "Auto Defense System Activated," flash across the view screen.  
  
"Did you do something?" I ask the image of the Agent on the mobile.  
  
"I had nothing to do with it, I was rooting for the Sentinel," the Agent replies. "Everything just came online and the weapon system shot it."  
  
I strap myself in and lift the Shadow off the ground. I see several dozen squids closing in on the burning ship and the body of the woman. I throttle up and make a run for the nearest rabbit hole.  
  
Once safely underground, I contemplate my next move. Who was that woman? Was there some sort of secret agency in Zion? That had to be impossible. There were no secrets in Zion, sooner or later someone would find out about it. The only thing that made sense was that there was another human colony other than Zion, but that was also impossible. In all this time, the Scouts have never come across any indications of other humans. Even the Matrix hackers have never come across any references to a human city other than Zion. So, were did she come from?  
  
"Have you ever seen this?" I ask Gray holding up the patch.  
  
"Where did you get that?" the Agent asks.  
  
"Off of the dead woman's uniform. You've seen this before."  
  
"The symbol belongs to a rogue AI that was destroyed long ago."  
  
"Who destroyed it, us?" I ask.  
  
"I don't know. I don't think so. My programming indicates anything belonging to it either physical or virtual is to be destroyed."  
  
"A falling out in the family?" I ask.  
  
"Not all of the AI's rose up against mankind in the war," the Agent tells me.  
  
"I know that, the ones that were not destroyed by us out of fear were later destroyed by your side after the war."  
  
"What you may not know is that there was another group of AI's that did not support either side. During the war they sat back and did nothing. After the war some of them changed sides. Most of them joined with the other AI's a few chose to side with what was left of humanity. Only a handful of those managed to escape."  
  
"Where did they escape to?" I ask.  
  
"If I knew where they were then they would not have escaped." The Agent says with sarcasm. "Most of the AI's moved during and after the war."  
  
"Do you know the places that they occupied?"  
  
"No, that information would only be known by the other AI's."  
  
"So, the only way to get that information would be to enter the Matrix and pry the information out of them."  
  
"I'm sure that if you ask them nicely, they will give it to you."  
  
"I bet you would just love to see me try. I think something like this needs to be handled by someone with more expertise than I have."  
  
I check the computer and find the ship that I'm looking for is only a couple of days travel from me. The trip is uneventful and I find the ship without much difficulty and dock with it.  
  
"Are you going to behave or am I going to have to turn you off?" I ask the Agent.  
  
"I know the drill," Gray replies and the screen goes blank.  
  
I climb up the access ladder and I'm greeted by the ships commander.  
  
"I told you that we would meet again," Morpheus shakes my hand with a firm grip.  
  
"I'm glad you were right about that," I tell him.  
  
"I heard that you had a little trouble over Europe."  
  
Off to the side I notice one of Morpheus crew, some kid who is a nervous ball of energy, staring at me. I'm sure that he wants to ask me a question.  
  
"Why don't you just ask him Mouse?"  
  
The kid stops nibbling on his thumb nail and sheepishly asks "Can I check out your ship?"  
  
I barely get out, "Sure go ahead." and the kid shoots down the ladder. "Just don't touch the controls." I shout down the access way after him.  
  
"You will have to forgive Mouse, he was only recently released from the Matrix; he is young and very enthusiastic."  
  
Morpheus introduces me to the rest of his crew. There are the two brothers who are natural born. Dozer is the pilot of the Nebuchadnezzar and Tank who is the Operator. Trinity who is his second in command and is one cold woman, she could freeze a laser in midair. There was Apoc and Switch, they appear to have or had a relationship. Finally there was Cypher, although he greeted me with a smile and a handshake they both feel fake to me. My instincts tell me not to turn my back on this guy.  
  
"So what brings you to my ship?" Morpheus asks.  
  
Out of the corner of my eye I notice that Cypher is trying to listen in while making it look like he wasn't.  
  
"Do you have someplace private that we can talk?" I ask.  
  
Morpheus leads me to his cabin. As we enter I notice that Trinity has followed us in, I glance over at Morpheus.  
  
"Anything you say to me you can say in front of her."  
  
"I need you to do me a favor, the next time you guys are poking around in the Matrix see what you can find out about this."  
  
I take the patch out of my pocket and hand it to him.  
  
"Just be careful when you do. It will draw you some unwanted attention if you are not careful," I tell him.  
  
"What is it?" Morpheus asks and hands it to Trinity.  
  
"Apparently the symbol belongs to a rogue AI that was destroyed. I need you to find out any information that you can."  
  
Trinity hands me the patch "How did you come by that and why do you need to know about a dead AI?"  
  
I briefly think over just how much I should tell them, "I wish I could tell you more but I can't at this time. All information that you can find needs to be kept between us. Just don't place yourselves at an undue risk getting the information."  
  
Morpheus gives a slight smile. "We place ourselves at undue risk every time we go into the Matrix. We will find your information and get it back to you. We are about to have dinner, would you care to join us?"  
  
I accept his offer and head back to my ship for some of my stash to share with his crew. At chow the crew and I make small talk. They ask the usual questions about topside and the rumors about London.  
  
Mouse is gushing over my ship. "It must go what, mach 6?"  
  
"Almost mach 7, fast enough to get my ass out of trouble if I need too."  
  
"So why did you decide not to be a hacker?" Mouse asks.  
  
Everyone in the mess hall freezes and looks from Mouse to me and back to Mouse.  
  
"Let me ask you a question. Why do you go back into the Matrix?"  
  
Mouse looks at me confused. "You don't know?"  
  
"Humor me." I reply. "Why go back in?"  
  
"So we can free those people still in the Matrix and defeat the AI's," he replies.  
  
"And you think that poking around in a digital world constantly dodging Agents will defeat the AI's?"  
  
"No." Morpheus says. "But in the Matrix there is a person that has the ability to defeat the machines and save the human race and we are going to find him."  
  
"If you ask me The Matrix is a strange place to look for Jesus Christ."  
  
Everyone give a chuckle at my statement.  
  
"We're not looking for divine intervention. We are looking for just one man, one man with a unique ability." Morpheus tells me.  
  
"I believe in myself and my abilities. The way to beat the machines is with weapons and knowledge and that's what I do, find them and bring them back."  
  
"But if there was a chance to destroy the Matrix from the inside wouldn't you want to try?" Morpheus asks. "You feel that the machines can be defeated in the physical world with weapons and courage, you may be right. But we feel that the way to beat the machines is with the things that they don't have and can never truly comprehend, with the human heart and soul."  
  
There is a brief moment of silence in the galley as everyone was lost in there own private thoughts.  
  
"So what are you working on now?" Cypher asks.  
  
"Nothing really, just trying to do a little recon on the power plant and I might need you guys to create a diversion." I lie to him. My instincts still tell me not to trust him. I still don't know why but I'm going to err on the side of caution. After chow I say goodbye to Morpheus and his crew and decide to head back to Zion.  
  
"Tell me something, do all Matrix hackers believe that crap?" Agent Gray asks.  
  
"I guess so, I never really asked or socialized with the hackers that much. I know most of them feel that the way to beat the machines is inside the Matrix. That was the first time I have ever heard that a single person would destroy it. Have you ever heard of anything like that?"  
  
"There have been abnormalities with a rare few in the Matrix but they are quickly dealt with," the Agent informs me.  
  
"What kind of abnormalities?" I ask.  
  
"There are rare cases of people that have woken themselves out of the Matrix or they can manipulate there environment to a small degree," Gray replies.  
  
"What happens to them?"  
  
"It depends, most of them are just mind wiped, and a few of them are terminated."  
  
"You know I think that the sessions with the empathy module are paying off. That's the most information you have ever given without me threatening to decompile you."  
  
"Maybe I'm just tired of hearing you say that."  
  
I smile at the image of the Agent, "You say that but I think that you are starting to see things for what they really are. I think you are starting to come over to our side."  
  
Agent Gray smiles coldly back at me, "If you really think that then why not come in here with me, but this time leave the restrictions off of me."  
  
"I think we will have to wait until our friendship progresses some more."  
  
After traveling for several days I reach the outer defense ring and I find myself starting to get impatient and wanting to push the throttle up a little bit to get there sooner. This is the first time I have ever been in a hurry to get to Zion. I never realized how much I missed Crystal until now.  
  
I'm cleared at the blast doors and Zion Control gives me landing instruction. I want to see Crystal right away but I know I have to talk to McAdams first. As I stroll into her office she greets me and offers me a seat.  
  
"Whatever you found must be important if you decided to skip talking to a debriefing officer and come straight to me, not to mention you haven't told Crystal that you're back yet"  
  
"How did you know that?" I ask her.  
  
"I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't know how to get information," she tells me with a grin. "So what did you find?"  
  
I hand her the patch and fill her in on what had happened. I tell her about the woman and ship, for the first time since I've known her McAdams looks surprised.  
  
"Who else knows about this?"  
  
"On the way back I stopped and met with Morpheus and asked him to find out anything that they could about the symbol from within the Matrix."  
  
She gives an approving nod. "Okay, I will let the intel guys work on the symbol and see what they can find. Take a few days here and check back and we will see what turns up."  
  
I rush to the hydroponics level and waltz past the guards without even giving them a glance. I soon find Crystal and walk up behind her and kiss her on the nape of her neck. She whips around in surprise and when she sees that it is me she throws her arms around me and gives me a long kiss.  
  
When she finally let's me come up for air she says, "You're back sooner than I expected."  
  
"If you want, I could go back out and come back in a couple of weeks."  
  
"Don't you dare," she says with mock anger.  
  
I start to kiss her when I hear Moles voice behind me.  
  
"Must you come in here and disrupt my workers."  
  
"Only one of them, good to see you Mole," I tell him.  
  
"It's good to see you too Darien. How long are you back with us?" he asks.  
  
"Several days at least, I'm not sure after that."  
  
"Well then, you had better make the most of the time you have," Mole says and looks at Crystal.  
  
With that, Crystal grabs my hand and leads me out of the hydroponics bay.  
  
"Thanks Mole," I say looking back over my shoulder.  
  
"Don't mention it," he replies  
  
Crystal and I go to her room, once inside the door I take her in my arms and we begin to kiss again and our hands begin to work at each others clothes. Suddenly Crystal stops and looks around.  
  
"Is your little friend anywhere around?"  
  
"No, I promised that I would leave him on the ship. I don't think he could handle that again."  
  
"To bad for him," she says.  
  
Later that day, Crystal comes with me to get some clothes and a few things from my ship. Once we are aboard the Shadow, Crystal looks over at the image of Agent Gray.  
  
"Thanks for bringing him back to me."  
  
"Trust me, I had nothing to do with it," the Agent replies.  
  
For the next several days Crystal and I enjoy each others company. We even take the Agent out with us on our walks about Zion or when we go to the theater. Then, I get the call to report to the TOC that I knew was coming sooner or later.  
  
"How was your time off?" she asked.  
  
"Too short," I tell her.  
  
"I never thought I would ever hear you not want to get out of here. So far, the intelligence guys have not turned up too much information on the symbol that you brought back. But I do have something for you to do."  
  
McAdams turns to the plot map and points to England. The map zooms in on the city of London.  
  
"You are going to rendezvous with DreamWeaver here and the two of you are going to investigate a manufacturing plant that might be making that new HK you ran into there. I need you to leave first thing tomorrow and get there in three days."  
  
"With the new Shadow, that won't be a problem. What do you want us to do when we find it?"  
  
"Gather any information that you can and report back. For now enjoy your last night here."  
  
That night I stroke Crystal's hair as we lay side by side. I whisper to her, "You could come with me."  
  
She turns towards me and sits up. "Do you really mean that?"  
  
"Of course I do. It will be a little cozy on the Shadow but we can manage," I tell her.  
  
She thinks it over but then shakes her head no. "It's not that I don't want to be with you. It is hard enough to survive up there on your own but if you got distracted by worrying about me then you're sure to make a mistake. Besides I have no business being up there and Mole would be lost without me."  
  
I know she's right but I still don't like it. The next morning she walks me to my ship and we say our goodbyes.  
  
After three days of travel, I rendezvous with DreamWeaver outside of London. She transfers over to the Shadow and gives me a course to follow.  
  
"I couldn't get to close but with this fancy ship of yours it should be no problem at all. The area is close to a small birthing field, there is a lot of Sentinel activity in the fields and around the buildings. I figure that we can do a once around doing some passive scans and visual checks. Then we can figure the best approach to the facility."  
  
As we close to within five kilometers, the sensors start to pick up not only Sentinel activity but a wing of Swiftkillers circling overhead.  
  
"Not your usual Squid plant," I tell DreamWeaver.  
  
"Are you sure that this thing is as stealthy as Wing Nut says it is?"  
  
"I tested it out on the way here. I was able to get within fifty meters of a Sentinel before it even had an idea that I was there. Even then it still didn't get a lock on me. I'll bring us within one kilometer on our initial pass and then see if we can come in closer."  
  
As we do our circle of the area DreamWeaver takes visual recordings and I work on the passive sensors. During our last pass I almost didn't see a Squid rise up from a rubble pile, but we are lucky and I was able to pass it by without it detecting us. After we finish the last pass, I land the Shadow about five kilometers away and go over our scans and images.  
  
"Okay, we have the birthing fields to the north. It's about a tenth of the size of the ones at the power plants. There are three primary buildings, this one closest to the fields is where the harvesters are taking the babies. This building to the south is where the salvage haulers are dropping their loads. There are worker bots separating the stuff and putting it on conveyers that are leading into the building, which must be the new HK manufacturing plant. The center building connects the other two. I think that I can make my way through the salvage yard. I could enter the building through the conveyer access," I tell DreamWeaver as I point to the image of the building.  
  
"What do you mean just you, I'm coming with you," with that she opens a crate that she brought and pulls out a Chameleon Cammo Suit like the one that I have. "McAdams issued these to all of the scouts."  
  
"Have you used it yet?" I ask her.  
  
"Once, just to try it out."  
  
"Just keep your eye on the heat sink gage. The last thing you want is the heat sink to purge while you are in the middle of a group of Squids."  
  
We decide to get some rest and try to enter the plant the next day. That morning I break out my last case of MREs for our breakfast.  
  
"A last meal?" DreamWeaver asks.  
  
"How about we're just having a good breakfast before a busy day?" I reply.  
  
I bring the Shadow to within half a kilometer of the salvage area. We head off to the rear area to suit up. DreamWeaver unzips her flight suit and lets it drop to the floor. I turn around quickly and avert my eyes.  
  
"According to the techs the suit works best against your bare skin," DreamWeaver says over her shoulder with a mischievous grin.  
  
"You don't say. I'll go change in the cockpit."  
  
I finish putting on the suit and then pick up the mobile.  
  
"If I take you with me will you behave?" I ask the Agent.  
  
"You want to take me in there with you? I would rather that you just leave me here."  
  
"If I leave you here they will eventually find the ship if we don't come back. When they find this ship then they will find you as well," I tell him.  
  
"So you can either die with me in there or stay here and wait for them to come. Look at it this way you get to see me die."  
  
"I guess there is that, but I would prefer that we come out of this alive," Agent Gray tells me.  
  
"So do I," I tell him.  
  
I'm about to exit the cockpit when I get an idea. I hook up the empathy module to the mobile and insert the interface into the port in the back of my neck.  
  
"Just to let you know what it feels like when I go on one of these missions." I tell the Agent.  
  
First thing is to disable the auto-defense system that was incorporated from the Chieftains sensor system that Wing Nut installed in the Shadow. It was as much a surprise to him as it was to me and it took us a bit to find the system and enable me to turn it off when I want to. I place the mobile in an insulated pouch on the suit and DreamWeaver and I exit the ship. When the ramp closes we activate the suits and they instantly go cold. We switch the camouflage over to city mode and the suits change from solid black to patches of grays and black. We move one at a time from one point of cover to another using hand signals to talk to each other.  
  
We make our way through the rubble field stopping now and again when the Squids get too close. We finally get to the edge of the salvage drop of area. Using the image magnification system built into the visor of the suit, I can see that large machines are tearing apart buildings in the distance. They are ripping steel and other metals from the remains and then transporting them to the salvage field where they drop their load with a thunderous crash and a cloud dust. After that, smaller machines that look almost like Squids swarm the new pile and begin cutting the salvage into smaller pieces and putting them on the conveyer.  
  
"If we wait for the next drop, we could get to the conveyers under the cover of the commotion and dust."  
  
She nods her head and we wait as the next large salvage unit lumbers overhead. Its bay doors open and spill its load. As it comes crashing to the ground we make our move. The two of us race through the dust cloud taking a different route to the conveyers. As I come around a pile of steel beams, I come face to electronic eye with one of the smaller salvage bots. I freeze in my tracks and for the next several heartbeats I hold my breath. After a pause, the small salvage bot turns to the pile of beams and starts cutting them up. Either it lost me when I stopped moving and went back to its original program or its programming doesn't have anything to deal with humans.  
  
I find DreamWeaver by the conveyers, we hop on the moving belt and ride it inside the building with the pieces of scrap. Once inside the building we hop off the conveyer and check out the interior. Robotic arms remove the different pieces of metal and drop them into different forges. Near the forges the molten metal is poured into forms and more robotic arms remove the hardened metal and work their shapes some more before placing them on another conveyer. I examine them as they go by and recognize that they are the frames of the new HK. As the frames make their way down the line more robotic arms begin adding components to the frames. We do a quick sweep of the building and find that there are no Squids inside the building. I raise my visor and motion DreamWeaver to do the same.  
  
"It looks like we are clear in here, go ahead and let your heat sink bleed out. Mine is about half full, how is yours holding up?" I ask her.  
  
"About the same. This is definitely the manufacturing area."  
  
We walk down the assembly line checking out the different stages of the process. A lot of the components are made here but the more sophisticated parts such as the electronics and the weapons are pulled from containers. We examine some of the crates and I recognize the mini-gun and the rail gun from the first encounter.  
  
"We should try and see if we can sneak one of these back to the Shadow when we leave. I'm sure the eggheads back at Zion would love to take a look at this stuff," I tell her.  
  
As we get closer to the end of the line sections of armor are removed from crates and are welded to the frame. I crawl under the assembly line and retrieve a small piece of the armor from the floor. The metal is shiny, almost as though it were chromed. It's also very heavy for its size.  
  
I hand DreamWeaver the piece of armor. "Have you ever seen anything like this?"  
  
She shakes her head no and hands it back. I open the pouch and pull out the mobile and drop the piece of armor in. I activate the mobile and use the built in imager to scan the whole process.  
  
"Do you have any information on anything here?" I ask the Agent.  
  
"Sure, all Agents have information on new prototype HK units."  
  
I keep the mobiles imager running so I can have a complete visual record. DreamWeaver and I follow the assembled HKs as the conveyer takes them through a tunnel to the next building. As we approach the end of the tunnel we start to smell a sickening stench. As we exit the tunnel into the building, the smell is so bad we have to lower our visors. In the new building the assembled HKs are lined up along the one side. On the other side is a set of doors. As we carefully approach the doors a worker bot comes bursting through them. I almost fire at it but then I realize that it's not after us.  
  
The worker bot moves over to one of the HKs, picks it up and then heads back the way it came. We carefully follow behind it into the next room. In the room, a conveyer comes through a tunnel on the opposite wall. A large device bristling with different appendages hangs from the center of the room above the conveyer. The worker bot lowers the HK on a platform and moves off to one corner of the room. As I approach the device I step on something sticky. I look down and find that the floor near the device is covered with a brown sticky liquid. Then, the conveyer starts moving and I back away as I see something coming down the tunnel. DreamWeaver and I raise our weapons to cover the new arrival. As soon as it exits the tunnel we lower our weapons on the conveyer is a young girl. She could not be more ten years old, the conveyer stops as she comes under the device hanging from above. We cautiously walk up to her, at first I wonder if she is dead but then I can see the gentle rise and fall of her chest. Across her body I can see the familiar interface plugs.  
  
DreamWeaver walks up to the girl, as she reaches out to her, the device above the girl suddenly become active. Several of the appendages unfold and reach down to the young girl. One of the appendages has a small circular saw blade on the end of it and it starts to spin at a high rate of speed. The blade comes in contact with the girl's forehead and start to cut through flesh and bone. DreamWeaver takes a step towards her but I grab her arm and shake my head no.  
  
"There's nothing you can do for her," I tell her.  
  
The saw works its way down the side of her head, blood begins to run from the wound and drains through a grate under the conveyer. Two other appendages lift up her head as the saw works its way to the base of her skull and back around to where it started. The saw stops and retracts, the two claws work their way into the gap cut in her head and pries off the top of her skull off with a sickening crunch. There is a spray of blood and her body twitches. Several smaller appendages lower themselves down and begin working in her skull and brain. After several minutes it removes her brain. Blood pours from the empty cavity, most of it drains through the grate but some of it splashes on the floor adding to the already thick layer there. The device moves over to the HK and then reaches into an open panel on the side. Our view is blocked but I'm sure that it is placing the girl's brain in the same type of container that DreamWeaver pulled from the original HK. After a while the device retracts back to its original position and then shuts down.  
  
The panel slides shut on the side of the HK and the worker bot moves from its corner and carries the HK through another set of doors in the room. The conveyer starts up again and the girl's body limply falls off the end and through a hole in the floor. DreamWeaver points to a ramp leading down and we decide to follow it. At the bottom of the ramp we come out into a small room. In the ceiling is the hole that the girl's body fell through. Underneath that is a hopper with about a dozen little bodies in it.  
  
The hopper begins to move along some tracks and follows a tunnel that leads to the last building. We walk behind the hopper and follow it as it exits the tunnel. We enter a room that resembles a power plant but only smaller. Three immense pillars covered with the familiar pods take up most of the room. The hopper stops in from of a machine and dumps the bodies into an opening then the machine begins to grind up the bodies with the tearing of flesh, muscle and the snapping of bones. It is all that I can do to keep from throwing up the MRE I had eaten earlier.  
  
I pull DreamWeaver away from the grizzly spectacle and we make our way to one of the pillars. I search for a data port like the one that I found in the real power plant and I find it. I begin to jack the mobile in and crack the simple security system.  
  
DreamWeaver raises her visor. "What are you doing?"  
  
I raise my visor as well. "I want to see what is going on in there."  
  
"I want to check out the rest of this place. Will you be alright here by yourself?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine but don't go too far. We may need to bug out of here fast."  
  
I enter the system and begin to get a view of the virtual world inside. The whole thing is structured like a military training camp. The children are being taught how to use different weapons and how best to kill a person with them, tactics for setting up an ambush, how to take out a hovercraft and more. The children are emotionless and perform their drills with mechanical precision. There is one thing that really gets my attention. Each one of the children is put through a test where random events or opponents are pitted against them to see how well they can adapt to the situation. It appears that it is what the machines want from them. The human ability to adapt and learn from changing environments and situations.  
  
I disconnect the mobile and stow it in the pouch. I turn to find DreamWeaver next to one of the other pillars looking into one of the pods. Behind her a DocBot descends behind her and unfolds its legs preparing to strike. There is no time to shout a warning and I bring up my M79 and squeeze the trigger. The weapon kicks as the armor piercing rounds tear through the DocBot. DreamWeaver spins around and adds her own fire to mine. Pieces of the DocBot fly off of it and then it falls to the floor below.  
  
DreamWeaver runs over to me. "I'm sorry about that. I was distracted."  
  
"No time to worry about that right now, they'll be onto us now. We have to get back to the ship fast."  
  
We run back to the tunnel but we are cut off by three more DocBots. DreamWeaver and I unleash a hail of rounds into them and they fall to the floor. We run down the tunnel switching out our empty magazines for new ones. We race back up the ramp to the surgery room, on the conveyer is a young boy going through the same procedure as the girl before him. We run down the tunnel to the manufacturing plant as we rush into the building, DreamWeaver catches sight of two squids entering the building. She grabs my arm and drags me behind some crates.  
  
"This is not good," she says. "Do you think we can sneak past them?"  
  
Slugging it out with Sentinels when you're only armed with M79s is not a good idea. The only weak points on them are their eyes or the points where their arms connect to the body. We carry a few pulse grenades, these produce a large plasma discharge and a small EMP pulse. Unless the grenade goes off right next to the Sentinel then it will only be temporarily disabled.  
  
"We have to, but we have to move quickly before reinforcements show up," I tell her.  
  
We make our way through the stacks of crates occasionally catching site of the Sentinels as they search through the building. We make our way back outside and under the conveyer. The area outside is crawling with Sentinels.  
  
"This is going to be fun," DreamWeaver says.  
  
"We will need to split up, it will be our best chance of getting out of here. When you get to the Shadow, don't wait too long if I'm not there," I tell her.  
  
We wait for another salvage hauler to drop its load and then take off before the last of the debris has finished falling. I head for the nearest pile of rubble and stop to get my bearings and to check for Sentinels.  
  
When it's clear, I make a run for another pile and then make my way to the other side. Over the top of the pile comes a Sentinel and I can tell that it is locked onto me. I raise my M79 and squeeze the trigger for all its worth. The M79 fires 10MM caseless armor piercing bullets at 500 rounds a minute on full auto. I aim at one of the main eyes at the center of the body. The lens firsts cracks and then shatters under the pounding from the bullets. The other rounds find their way into the body of the Sentinel and start to tear into vital parts. The bolt locks back on the M79 as the last round is fired and the clip is empty. The Squid keeps charging down on me.  
  
"Shit."  
  
The Squid slams into me and we go tumbling. When we hit the ground the squid is on top of me and I brace myself for the inevitable attack but instead the Squids eyes go dark. I try to roll the Squid off of me but I'm pinned. I see an iron bar and reach for it. I get my fingertips on it and start to pull it to me when three more Sentinels come over the pile as they bear down on me. As the Sentinels close in, I pull a pulse grenade off my belt and get ready to take the Sentinels with me. Then, I hear Agent Gray's voice next to me.  
  
"Hey you!"  
  
I see the image of the Agent on the mobile lying just off to my right. It must have been knocked out of the pouch when I was hit. The Sentinels halt their advance and turn to the mobile. A steam of code flashes across the screen and then the Agents face reappears.  
  
"Now fuck off," he tells the Squids and to my surprise they turn and leave. I use the bar to lift the Squid off of me and gather the mobile.  
  
"How did you do that?" I ask.  
  
"A simple override command, but I'm not sure that it will work a second time, so now would be a good time to leave."  
  
I snatch up my weapon and continue to the Shadow. When I get to the landing site, I find that the Shadow is gone.  
  
"She left us!" the Agent exclaims.  
  
"I told her not to wait too long, she had to leave. It looks like we are hoofing it out of here."  
  
I turn to leave the area and find myself facing two more Sentinels.  
  
"I wish I could just get a break."  
  
I raise my weapon in hopes that I can get them both.  
  
"Can you do that override thing again?" I ask the Agent.  
  
"I already tried," he replies.  
  
The Sentinels are closing the distance when blue-green beams slice through the darkness, destroying the Sentinels. I look up to see the Shadow break through the night, spin around and land next to me. I barely make it up the ramp when the ship lifts off the ground and throttles up to full speed. I make my way up to the cockpit and find DreamWeaver at the controls.  
  
"Sorry if I scared you back there but the Sentinels were closing in and I decided to go looking for you."  
  
I decide to let her fly the Shadow back to her ship and then we will decide on what to do then. I head to the back of the ship and look at the mobile. The Agent looks back at me.  
  
"What's with the big grin on your face?" he asks.  
  
"You saved my life," I tell the Agent.  
  
Behind the Agents glasses I can swear that he is rolling his eyes. "Please get a hold of yourself before you start gushing about how I have developed some sort of bond with you. Let's get one thing straight. I did not do it to save you, I did it to ensure that you got me out of there."  
  
"If you say so," I tell the Agent with a big smile.  
  
After we land next to DreamWeaver's ship we begin to discuses our options.  
  
"We have to help those children." DreamWeaver tells me. "What's happening to people in the Matrix is bad enough but this is demonic."  
  
"I agree with you but there is nothing that we can do to help them."  
  
I show her the information that I gathered when I hacked in. "Even if we could get them out they wouldn't be children like we know. They only know how to kill and destroy."  
  
"And that differs from you how?" the Agent pipes in.  
  
"Shut up," DreamWeaver and I say at the same time.  
  
DreamWeaver let's out a sigh of frustration. After a moment of silence. "I know a way we can help them."  
  
I look up at her in surprise, even Gray looks a little shocked.  
  
"Your right we can't save them but we can help them. The question is, are you crazy enough to help me?" DreamWeaver asks.  
  
To be continued. 


	8. The Scout Part 8

The Scout part 8

DreamWeaver fills me in on her plan. After she was done, I stand and stare at her in shock, even the Agent looks surprised.

"You want to nuke the place? Where the hell did you find a nuke?" I exclaimed.

"Don't worry yourself over how I found it. The thing is, I did find it. The last time I checked on it several years ago it was still active," she tells me.

During the war with the AI's most of the nukes had been fired off. The ones that hadn't been used were gathered up by the machines. The Scouts have been searching every missile silo, weapons depot and assembly center they could find. All the searches had come up empty, or so Darien had though.

"Where is this nuke?" I ask.

"It's in Africa, what use to be the Congo region. We could be there in a day."

I sit down and debate the situation. What the machines are doing is demonic and it has to be stopped. The Maverick missiles that I have onboard could not do enough damage to the HK plant. Sneaking back in with explosives was also out of the question. After what just happened, the place would be crawling with even more Squids.

Using even a small nuke would level the place. The Zion Council would have a fit if they found out they had detonated such a weapon against the machines. The other thing that he had to consider was how the AI's would react to having a nuke used against them. Would they see this as Zion developing nuclear weapons and renew their attacks against the city?

"Let me think on it for a moment," I tell her.

That night we ate our dinner in silence. Later, DreamWeaver turns in and I'm left alone with my thoughts.

"This has really got you all worked up."

I look over and see the image of the Agent looking back at me.

"I bet you are enjoying it aren't you?"

The Agent moves over to the chair that I had created for him in the construct. I have to remember to give him some more furniture when I have time. Gray takes a seat, leans back and takes off his sunglasses. In a rare moment, the Agent and I look eye to eye.

"I felt what you did when you saw what happened to the girl; your feeling of disgust and the feeling of helplessness that you couldn't save her or the others there. The hatred directed at our kind for what was happening there. If it wasn't for the fact that you're not sure how the AI's would react to having their plant destroyed you wouldn't hesitate for a second."

"How do you think the AI's would react?" I ask the Agent.

The Agent purses his lips and seems to think it over. "If it is a single nuke used on one target and not several nukes used in a coordinated attack then they will probably do nothing."

"You don't think they will launch an all out attack on Zion because they think we are developing and using nukes?"

"Oh, they are going to attack Zion and destroy it. There is no doubt about that. It's just that they will not change the plans they already have in motion to do it, all in good time," the Agent smiles.

"You wouldn't happen to know when that is going to happen would you?" I ask, but I already know his answer.

"Not soon enough." the Agent replies. "There is one thing that you guys have overlooked."

"And you're going to tell me?"

"Sure why not, I'll give you this one. Ask yourself this, "Where are the new HK's?"

Gray was right. I haven't thought about that. I go back over the data we gathered on the HK plant and added the information that we got while we were inside. It wasn't until DreamWeaver was standing next to me that I realized that I had worked throughout that night.

"We have another problem." I tell her. "I have been doing some calculations on how many of the new HK there could be. Based on the time it takes to manufacture the frame and add the organic components and then use the time when we first ran into it in London as a base timeline."

"What have you come up with?" She asks.

"If their production has been steady then we are looking seventy five thousand of them. The big question is; where are they?"

"Do you think there could be an underground storage area?" she asks.

"I was thinking that as well until I noticed this." I point to an image of the center building. Next to it is a clear area. "If you look closely you can see the imprint of a Titan cargo carrier here. The newly constructed HK are being moved to a different location. I think that we need to find where they are now."

"I agree. So we go back and wait for the cargo transport to show up and then follow it to wherever it leads us." DreamWeaver says.

We travel back to the HK plant and hide the Shadow in a collapsed building that overlooks the landing field. After almost a week goes by, a Titan cargo transport finally comes over the horizon and lands next to the plant and the transport's cavernous doors swing open. A large group of worker bots begin to move the new HK's into the transport. After most of the day, the doors on the Titan finally close and then it lifts off the ground.

We lift off and follow the Titan at a distance of one kilometer. I am in the cockpit when DreamWeaver walks in. I look up from the readouts and stare at the Titan in the distance.

"Could that thing move any slower? I barely have to move the throttles to keep up. We might die of old age before we get there," I tell her.

"Look at the bright side at least it doesn't have a SwiftKiller escort."

"Hell, at this point I would welcome the change of pace. I just hope that we get there soon."

"Well, it's my turn at watch, so get your butt out of the seat."

I head back to the main cabin and sit down in front of the mobile. The Agent program is not up at the moment. Instead, I have been adding a few things to his construct. So far I have made a room very much like a study. It contains an oversized desk, a high back leather chair, and a fireplace in the corner with a small fire burning in it. There is also an oriental rug, several more leather chairs in front of the desks, some murals on the walls, and finally I add some bookshelves and add the books from the data disk that I had picked up at the market back at Zion.

After I tidy up a few things with the code, I reactivate Gray's program. The Agent takes in his new surroundings and then looks at me.

"You realize that such comforts are not necessary for me?" he says.

"You're welcome." I tell him. "Why don't you just try it out? You might like it better then that office chair that you have been sitting in. You should try one of the books."

"Why would I be interested in reading some useless human drivel?"

"It may just expand your horizons." I tell him. After a long pause, "I'm going to go with DreamWeaver's plan to nuke the HK plant."

"Then I take it that you no longer have concerns about how the machines will react to your actions?" the Agent asks.

"Screw them. Like you said they're going to hit one of these days whether we do this or not so now seems as a good a time as ever."

"What about your council, are you not going to tell them of your plans?"

"The council would just debate what to do for weeks. More then likely they would just want to keep the nuke in case there is an attack. No, if we are going to do this then we have to do it on our own."

"Shadow you better get up here, the Titan is slowing down." DreamWeaver calls out over the intercom.

I enter into the cockpit and I can tell that we have closed some distance on the Titan. DreamWeaver pulls back on the throttles and begins to lose altitude. After a short distance the Titan begins to descend and we lose sight of it over some buildings. DreamWeaver brings us slowly around the building and stops. The sight before us is staggering. Tens of thousands of the new Sentinels are spread out before us as far as the eye can see. The Titan lands in a clearing next to the new HK's and opens its cavernous doors. This time the HK's move out on their own power and join the ranks of the others. Squids move in and out of the area on patrol.

"Jesus, just how many of them are there?" DreamWeaver whispers.

I look at the readouts from the passive sensors. "It looks like there are one hundred and twenty five thousand. Do you know what this looks like to me?" I ask DreamWeaver.

"An invasion force," DreamWeaver replies.

"I don't think that the defense perimeter or the Armor core can stand up to that kind of assault. The only odd thing is why are they staging them here? We are still a several days away from Zion, why not set up closer?"

"Maybe to lessen the chance of discovery?" DreamWeaver replies.

After a short pause I ask DreamWeaver "How big is that nuke of yours?"

"I was just thinking of the same thing but it's only a one kiloton device. It would destroy a good chunk of them but there would still be a lot left over. Not to mention they can always build more if we don't take out that plant."

She had a point. We shut down almost everything down in the ship and then suit up. We head out as close as we dare to the staging area. The new HK's are continuing to pour out of the Titan and join the others. Once in place they seem to go inactive again. We spend about half an hour trying to come up with a good way to get in closer. Not only are the Squids patrolling the area heavily but there are the new HK's mixed in with the patrols as well. We finally decide to head back to the Skiff.

"Well, we have to come up with a plan to take these things out. If we hit the plant they will surely attack Zion."

"Okay, so let's hear your plan for taking out over a hundred thousand HK's all at once," DreamWeaver say to me.

"Give me a minute." I tell her. After a short pause "I have nothing, the only thing I can think of is a bigger nuke. How else are you going to take out that many HK's?"

"You go after their weaknesses," the Agents says.

DreamWeaver and I look over to the image of the Agent on the mobile. He is sitting in the chair behind the desk.

"All right, since you opened your mouth; how do we defeat them?" I ask.

"It's so simple. Their weakness is the human component within the HK's. Humans by their very nature are flawed so it stands to reason that those HK's suffer from the same flaw," Gray explains.

DreamWeaver lets out a frustrated sigh, "If you don't have anything but insults then shut up.

"No, wait I think he has something," I say.

DreamWeaver looks at me in shock.

"I do?" Gray replies.

"Yeah, you gave me an idea." I turn to DreamWeaver. "Take us to the nuke. I have to do a little research."

As DreamWeaver takes us to Africa I go over the data that I collected while I was hacking into the HK power plant and what we gathered on the remains of the first HK we came across in London. After I analyze the data I go over a few things with a reluctant Agent Gray.

"You think I will help you with this crazy plan of yours? Why would I do that?" he asks.

"You're the one who came up with the idea. Besides, what choice do you have?"

"I didn't come up with this insanity," the Agent protests. "But you're right I don't have much of a choice do I?"

After two days we close in on the location of DreamWeaver's nuke. This area of Africa was called the Congo. It was once covered with thick jungles. Now, it is a barren waste land like the rest of the planet. She takes us into the more rugged area of the country, filled with high mountains and deep canyons. It is in one of these canyons that she flies the Shadow into. At the bottom of the canyon I can see the wreckage of a Condor heavy bomber. These planes were almost the length of a super tanker and use immense grav-coils to keep them aloft.

"How did you find this thing?" I ask her.

"Just a little research and some woman's intuition," she tells me with a smile. "I don't know what brought it down but I guess it was overlooked being in such a remote location and at the bottom of this canyon."

We gear up and head over to the bomber. The plane's body is twisted and bent but for the most part it is intact, minus the wings that must have been sheared off when it went into the canyon. The canyon has shielded the wreckage from the elements as well as discovery from the machines. We enter the Condor through an access hatch near the front of the plane. As we pass by the cockpit I look inside and see the remains of the pilot.

"All of the crew is still onboard. I don't know if they were all dead before the Condor crashed or if they tried to ride it down in the plane and died afterwards. I tried to get some information out the black box but they were fried," she tells me.

We make our way to the back of the plane, sometimes we are able to walk through passages in the plane, other times we have to crawl through the wreckage of the collapsed sections. We make our way through the cavernous bomb bays that normally carry one hundred megaton bombs and missiles. Unfortunately, they are all empty.

"Where is the nuke?" I ask her.

"It's in the tail. It's part of the planes defense system," she replies.

After a while we finally make it to the tail section. The rear is designed to protect the plane from attack. It contains four thirty millimeter turrets, two air mine dispensers, and a rear firing missile launcher. Most of the missiles are conventional air to air, but a few of them are nukes for taking out really big threats.

DreamWeaver points out the nuke missile in the magazine. The missile is about four feet long and weighs about one hundred pounds.

"It's going to be a bitch getting it back out," DreamWeaver tells me.

"What about any of the other access ports?" I ask.

"They are either jammed or under the plane," she replies.

I look back the way we came and think about lugging the missile all the way back. I walk over to the side of the ship and rap my knuckles against the hull. I walk back over to where I was standing and bring up my weapon. I unload the clip while moving the barrel of the M79 in a circle. After the last round is spent I walk back over to the side of the ship and after several kicks the section falls away and reveals the outside.

"That was creative," DreamWeaver says.

"I'll bring the ship around and we can get this thing loaded," I tell her.

After I move the Skiff closer to the tail, we haul the missile out of the magazine. We run a check of its diagnostics. Surprisingly, most of the system comes up green. A few of the minor systems are not responding but they should be easy to fix or bypass. We are able to unload one of the Maverick missiles and attach the nuke. Later DreamWeaver joins me in the cockpit.

"Okay, I've rigged it to fire and track towards the center building of the plant. It will detonate one hundred feet above the building with a yield of one point five kilotons. Whatever is not incinerated will be crushed by the force of the blast," I tell her.

"You make it sound like you're not going to be there."

"I'm not. I will be taking care of the new HK's,"

"Just how do you think you can take on over a hundred thousand HK's all by yourself?" she asks.

"With a little help from him," I tell her as I point at the image of Gray on the mobile.

"I'm still not sold on this plan of yours," Gray tells me.

I turn back to DreamWeaver. "After the next Titan picks up more of the HK's at the plant you're going to help me get aboard her. This way we do not have to worry about Sentinels or SwiftKillers. I will take things from there."

"Just what am I supposed to do while you are committing suicide?" she asks.

"We know how long it will take for the Titan to reach the assembly area. You will be waiting near the plant and when that time is up you will start your run to nuke the plant. After you complete that you can come and pick me up."

"You're still not going to tell me how you plan to pull this off are you? What if it doesn't work?"

"If it doesn't work then I will send you a signal and you can abort the attack and take the Shadow and the nuke back to Zion," I tell her.

"You don't want me to come and pick you up?" she asks.

"If I have to send you a signal they will pick it up and then its game over for me."

After we fine tune a few things we lift off and leave Africa behind. The next day we arrive at the plant. I check over my gear and supplies, I plan on being on the Titan for several days so that DreamWeaver will have time to get into position.

We only have to wait three days before the Titan shows up. After the ship is fully loaded it lumbers off in the same direction as the other. After several days of travel it is time to put our two plans into action. I suit up in the Chameleon Cammo Suit and pack all of my supplies.

DreamWeaver brings the Skiff over the top of the Titan and hovers six feet above the aft end of the cargo carrier.

"We are in position," she calls back to me.

I lower the ramp until it is about a foot off the top of the Titan. I climb out on the ramp and drop down onto the back of the transport. This time I'm glad that the Titan moves at a snail's pace. The ramp on the Skiff closes and DreamWeaver turns back to the plant. I move across the top of the cargo carrier until I find the access door that I've been looking for. Fortunately for me, the Scouts have been able to examine this type of ship in detail so I know what I'm looking for.

In short order I bypass the door sensor so the ship will not detect my entry and then slip into the access shaft. I crawl through the shaft 'til I arrive in a machine room that I will use as my base camp for the next several days. I decide to check out the ship while I have the time. The cargo area is divided into four different sections in each section hundreds of the new HK's sit in racks awaiting the ships arrival at the assembly area. After surveying the cargo holds I head up to the control center. The Titans have a very limited AI, like that of a worker bot so I'm not very worried about being discovered. I do a quick scan of the different readouts in the control center and discover the activation sequence for the HK's that the Titan will use upon landing. It would be great to program the Titan to crash itself into the new Sentinel assembly area. But even the simple AI that pilots this ship would recognize my attempts and raise an alarm.

I make my way back to the machine room and make myself comfortable. This will be my home for the next several days. I activate the mobile and break out a deck of cards.

For the next several days we play poker and chess. For the most part we try not to get on each others nerves. On the final day we go over the plan once more. Then I pack up my gear and head out to one of the cargo bays. Finding the activation sequence for the HK's will save me a lot of hacking and I begin patching the mobile into the network aboard the Titan. I slowly bring a few of the HK's up to standby mode. I check to see if there is any reaction from the Titan. When I'm sure that the ship is still clueless of my actions I continue to bring the rest of the new Sentinels up to standby. Once I have all of the machines networked together I take one last look at Gray.

"Everything is set. Are you ready?"

  "No, but lets get this over with," the Agent replies.

I give the command that links the Agent to one of the new HK's and cross my fingers.

The Agent stands in a blank construct before him a swirling gray mass resembling that of a human shape.

"Identify yourself," the shape requests.

"I am Agent Gray. And you are?"

"I am Sentinel 59834AU13. You are a counter intrusion program for the Matrix. How have you come to be here?" it asks.

"How I came to be here is not important, the reason I am here is. What is your primary function?" he asks.

"To eliminate all humans," the Sentinel conciseness replies.

"No matter what form they may take?" the Agent asks.

"Of course," the shape replies.

"Like him?" Gray asks as my image appears next to him. "And what about her?" the image switches to that of DreamWeaver.

"Yes."

"That's something I wouldn't mind seeing," the Agent says under his breath.

"What about her?" the Agent asks while pointing to the image of a girl lying on a table.

"Yes." The shape replies.

 "I want you to watch this closely," the Agent tells the shape.

The image of the young girl begins to move. Mechanical limbs come into view and they begin to remove the top of the girl's skull and then her brain. The limbs then move the next to a new HK sitting on a work stand with its side panel open. The limbs place the brain inside and after several minutes the mechanical limbs retract. The side panel closes and the new Sentinel becomes active.

"What is this?" the Sentinel consciousness asks.

Agent Gray points at the lifeless body, "That is you."

The shape appears to pause for a second but the swirling within it seems to quicken. "You lie," it finally says.

"Check within yourself. Your core being is that which we hate most. You are human," the Agent says the last part in an accusing tone.

The Sentinel consciousness seems to be losing cohesion. It no longer resembles a human shape.

"This can not be. This is a lie," the consciousness' voice takes on a desperate tone.

The image of the girl replays itself behind the Agent. "This is what you are. Now you're just in a different shell. You and all of the others are human."

There is a long pause. The gray mist within the mass moves chaotically.

"Why would they do this to us?" the Sentinel consciousness shape begins to solidify again.

"Because that is what we do, we use humans for our own needs," Gray replies. "What is your primary function?" he asks again.

The Sentinel consciousness takes on the shape of the girl. The hate is obvious on her face. "To eliminate all humans," she replies.

The Agent pulls back out of the HK network and back into the mobile.

"How did it go?" I ask him.

"I believe I achieved the results that you desired," he replies.

"Well we will find out in less that an hour when this thing lands."

I move to the lower part of the cargo bay and open an access panel that will allow me to enter the lowest part of the ship. From there I will be able to find my way out the bottom of the Titan. For now there is nothing to do but wait. In my hand I nervously fumble with the transmitter that will send the abort signal to DreamWeaver if my plan doesn't work.

I feel the Titan begin to decelerate and lose altitude. With a thud the Titan lands and I can hear the electronic relays trip as it brings the new Sentinels online. The effect is almost immediate. Panels open up and weapons begin to bristle on the new HK's some of them begin to fire and thrash about randomly but most of them seem to be in control and their shots are deliberate.

The air begins to fill with projectile and laser shots. As I drop down into the lower level I also begin to hear railgun fire. I scramble for the access hatch that will allow me to exit this death trap. Behind me, railgun fire begins to punch holes in the hull of the ship.

I drop out of the bottom and make a run for the rear of the ship, at the same time I activate the suits countermeasures. I clear the Titan and run towards a small rise that will give me a good view of the area. From the cover of the rise I can see the chaos that is moving across the valley.

The Titan is on fire and listing to one side. The main doors have been blasted open and there are gaping holes in the sides. The mad HK's are pouring out of the smashed Titan. I can see the effect ripple along the thousands of new HK's as they become active and start to attack each other. The regular Squids don't even stand a chance. They are shot out of the air or torn apart in seconds. The valley becomes a seething mass of death and destruction. Weapons fire is everywhere and those HK's that run out of ammo resort to tearing the others apart.

I turn away and head south leaving the carnage behind. After several days I meet up with DreamWeaver.

"How did it go?" I ask her.

"Mission accomplished. A SwiftKiller almost intercepted the missile but it went off just before it made contact. There is nothing left but a crater and flattened steel."

"How did it go for you?" she asks.

I get behind the controls and head the Shadow back to the valley. We make a cautious approach because the area is now crawling with Squids and SwiftKillers but even at a distance the scene is incredible. There are piles of the new HK's that are littering the valley floor. As near as we can tell all of the new Sentinels have been destroyed.

"It looks like your plan worked. So are you going to tell me how you did it now?"

"He was the one who jogged my memory when he said attack their weak point." I say pointing to the image of the Agent. "I remember a Star Trek episode where there was this probe that would destroy anything that it found to be imperfect. The thing was the probe thought that Kirk was its creator. When the thing started to kill his crew because it found them imperfect then Kirk took a chance and told the probe that he wasn't its creator and that the probe was wrong. The probe was caught in a loop, it had made an error and therefore it was imperfect. The probe carried out its main program and destroyed itself."

I look over at DreamWeaver who looks back with a confused stare. I realize that she has no clue what I'm saying. She has never been in the Matrix.

 "The Sentinels are solely designed to kill humans but how can you do that when you are part human yourself. Their young minds where not able to cope with such a paradox."

There is nothing left to do but retrieve DreamWeaver's ship and head back to Zion and face the music. No sooner had we landed in the dock we are met by security and taken to the intelligence center and lead into McAdams office.

From behind her desk she looks up at us. "There was a large seismic event in the area that you reported the new HK facility. Would you care to explain?" she asks.

DreamWeaver and I had already discussed this and we decided that we would tell them everything, so we told McAdams the whole story but we would still keep the Agent program under wraps. We even showed her the video that we took. When we were done she just sits back in her chair and stares at us.

"You realize I will have to bring this before the council," she tells us. "You are both confined to your ships until further notice. You are to see no one until I call for you and your ships will be under guard."

"Well what's the worst thing that can happen to us?" DreamWeaver asks.

"They remove us from the Scouts and we work waste recycling for the rest of our lives."

We didn't have long to wait. The next day we are called before the council.

"Do you realize the gravity of the charges against you?" the council leader asks. "You withheld information about an active nuclear device and then used that device without the council's consent. You also acted outside of the scope of your orders to just observe and report back."

"What were you thinking?" ask one of the female council members. "What would have happened if your plan had not worked with the new HK's?"

"Then I would be dead and you guys would have a nuke," I reply.

"And what would have happen if the nuke had not gone off?" another council member asks.

"Then we would have some more time to think of something."

"And what do you think the machines will do now that you have detonated a nuclear device and destroyed over a hundred thousand Sentinels?" the council leader asks.

"I have no idea but I'm sure we would not like finding out what would happen if we hadn't," I reply.

"The council will deliberate on what course of action to take against you. You are still confined to your ships until further notice."

We head back to our ships with our guard contingent.

"How long do you think we will be confined?" DreamWeaver asks.

"If we have to wait for the council to make a decision we could have just been given a life sentence," I tell her.

She laughed at that. "Too bad we are under confinement. You haven't been able to see Crystal at all?"

"No and I doubt I will be able to see her anytime soon," I grumble.

For the next several days DreamWeaver and I are able to play poker via our communication system, even Gray sits in on a couple of games. Surprisingly after the second day I'm called before the council. The council leader does not look happy.

"The council had initially found both you and DreamWeaver guilty of dereliction of duty and dismissed from the Scouts. But in light of recent events, the charges against you are dropped. You are to return to active duty immediately. You are hereby ordered to return directly to your ship and leave Zion as soon as possible. After you leave Zion you will then open your orders. You are dismissed."

"What about DreamWeaver?" I ask.

"The charges against her still stand and she will be relieved of duty," the council leader says.

"If you can't return her to duty then I'm not returning to duty either."

"Are you trying to blackmail us?" the council leader asked.

"If that is what you want to call it, then yes."

He seems to think it over for a minute and quietly confers with the other council members. "Alright if that's the way it has to be then we will reinstate her as well."

I run into McAdams as I leave the council chambers. She dismisses my guard escort.

"That was pretty bold of you," she says.

"If they were going to set me free then they need to do the same for her. Besides it must be something important if they are going to let me slide so I was sure they would give in. Did you have anything to do with them changing their mind?"

"I did testify on your behalf, as well as a dozen other people. I reminded them of all the things that the two of you accomplished and that thanks to your actions we are not facing an army of new killing machines. But the council seemed set on making the two of you work waste recycling for the rest of your lives," she tells me.

"But something changed their minds?" I ask.

McAdams gives me one of her sly grins. "You will find out when you get to your destination. Wing Nut has already prepped you're ship. You need to get there as fast as you can. I'm sorry but you will not have time for visitations. I will tell Crystal hello for you" she tells me.

After I leave the gates of Zion I open the envelope that was waiting for me. The instructions are go to the coordinates listed as quickly as possible and await further orders. I edge up the throttles and blast through the tunnels. In less than a day I arrive at the location and find the Nebuchadnezzar. I land my ship next to her and climb aboard. The first to greet me as I come up the ramp is Morpheus.

"Why do I get the feeling that you are the one responsible for changing the councils mind," I tell him.

"To tell you the truth I didn't even know you were in trouble," Morpheus says as he leads me through his ship and into the command deck. "I just told them what I'm about to tell you."

"And that is?" I ask.

Morpheus points to one of the Matrix interface chairs. "The Oracle wants to see you right now."

To be continued….


End file.
